In 2013，China and Indonesia established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In Indonesia，President Xi Jinping raised the initiative of jointly building the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road. Subsequently，the two countries strengthened the cooperation and set up the mechanism of the cultural and people-to-people exchange mechanism （PEM） at the vice premier’s level in 2015. It is conducive to promoting the friendly exchange between the two countries. However，when we look back to the history of the relations between China and Indonesia，it is not difficult to find that there are some deep-rooted obstacles such as historical issues and lack of mutual trust in politics. It takes time and patience for cultural and people-to-people exchange to truly go deeper. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative，China and Indonesia should give priority to the cultural and people-to-people exchange.