Chinese President Xi Jinping praised China’s strong ties with Indonesia during a meeting with Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Monday. Xi Jinping laid out plans for regional peace and reiterated China’s commitment to deepening maritime cooperation with Indonesia.

According to CCTV, Xi Jinping told Prabowo that bilateral relations “have entered a new stage of jointly building a community with a shared future.” He also added that China is “willing to deepen all-round strategic cooperation with Indonesia” and build a community between the two countries with strong regional and global influence.

Prabowo was elected president of Indonesia in February and will succeed President Joko Widodo, who has now given his support despite previously running against the president-elect. Prabowo, currently the country’s defense minister, will officially take office in October.

This trip to Beijing is Prabowo’s first since his election, and many people believe it is a sign of his commitment to continuing Widodo’s friendly policy towards China. China Central Television quoted Prabowo as saying he “fully supports the development of closer relations between Indonesia and China.”

Despite differences over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Indonesia’s relationship with China remains largely strong. China is Indonesia’s main trading partner, and Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Indonesian infrastructure and industrial projects.

One of the projects is Jakarta’s first high-speed rail line, built last year with support from Beijing. Xi Jinping praised the initiative, calling the line “a golden sign of high-quality cooperation between the two countries.”

Prabowo said that the new government will more closely align the development strategies of China and Indonesia and strengthen cooperation in economy, trade, poverty alleviation and other fields.

Prabowo said that China is Indonesia’s “strong partner”.

While the meeting was a sign of efforts to further develop positive ties with Beijing, rising tensions between China and Indonesia’s Southeast Asian neighbors over territorial claims in the South China Sea could test the partnership’s growth.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated over the past month after China’s coast guard used water cannon against a Philippine supply ship, damaging the ship and injuring a navy crew member.

The Philippines claims that China has violated its maritime territory, while China claims that it is protecting its sovereignty.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, citing the “nine-dash line” that other countries in the region reject.

This report contains information from Reuters, the Associated Press and AFP.