Germany–Indonesia relations
Germany and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1952. However, relations between the people of Germany and Indonesia has stretched back to 19th-century when a large number of German nationals migrated to Dutch East Indies.
Germany has an embassy in Jakarta while Indonesia has an embassy in Berlin. In the early 21st Century, the bilateral relations between the two nations are notable as both holds significant geopolitical influences in each region, Germany is the largest economy in the European Union, and Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN. Both countries have been significantly involved in the humanitarian response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed the lives of 540 Germans and many more thousands are wounded. Both nations are members of G-20 major economies.
According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 60% of Indonesians view Germany's influence positively, with only 21% expressing a negative view, one of the most favorable perceptions of Germany in Asia Pacific after South Korea's and Australia's view.
History
The relations between people of Germany and Indonesia was commenced during 19th-century colonial Dutch East Indies. Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt, was a Prussian-born Dutch botanist. He is considered to be the founding father of Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia. Indonesian painter Raden Saleh spent some times in Germany and his works influences the local art scene. Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, was a German Lutheran missionary to Batak lands, North Sumatra who also translated the New Testament into the native Batak language and also the first Ephorus of the Batak Christian Protestant Church. The German painter Walter Spies settled on the island of Bali and his works influenced local art. On the other hand, a large number of German scientists and artists took interest in Indonesia. For example, Prussian geographer Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn spent most of his work studying the geography and geology of Indonesia. The German researcher Lydia Kieven PhD published about the religious function and art of East Javanese temples. President B.J. Habibie studied and spent most of his early life in Germany.The bilateral diplomatic relations were officially established on 25 June 1952, when Indonesia opened a representative office in Bonn for the Federal Republic of Germany, and an embassy in 1976 in East Berlin for the German Democratic Republic. In 1965 and 1966, the Bundesnachrichtendienst assisted the Indonesian Army in the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66.
Germany enjoys a good reputation in Indonesia, mainly due to its numerous aid measures to support the country in times of crisis, such as the construction of a tsunami early warning system after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 230,000 people throughout Southeast Asia, or the German aid following the 2009 Sumatra earthquakes.
During an official visit to Indonesia on December 1, 2011, Federal President Christian Wulff and his counterpart, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, identified five key sectors of strategic partnership between Germany and Indonesia. These were trade and investments, health, education, technology research and innovation, and defense.