印尼也跻身世界新兴经济体?

I'm at the World Economic Forum in Indonesia, being held for the first time in this country. Now, Indonesia is a big story at the moment. It's got a young but secure democracy, a growing economy and a government that's open for business. Remember, this is the world's fourth most populous country. But what I want to know is whether this country should be considered for membership of that most exclusive of economic clubs, the BRIC countries.

BRIC is the brainchild of Goldman Sachs' Jim O'Neill, who coined the phrase in 2001 to describe the big emerging powerhouses -- Brazil, Russia, India and China. They now account for 45 % of the world's population, a quarter of the land mass and about a quarter of global economic output.

So where does Indonesia fit into all this?

Well, it's a member of Goldman's other club, the N 11, or the Next 11, which are countries with BRIC-like qualities. But does it deserve a place at the top table? We put that question to some delegates here at the WEF.

“I think Indonesia should. I think they've got the … the growth potential, a 240 million person economy that could actually grow faster than it is now. You … you've got to think about it. This is a strategically important market.”

“And so I would definitely say it falls in that group of BRICS that, by the way, account for 80 percent of the global growth.”

“Definitely, yes. Standard Chartered has just issued a Super-Cycle Report where it has suggested that Indonesia will be the fifth largest economy in the world by 2020.”

Certainly, there’s a lot of support here for Indonesia, but let's now take a look at some of the numbers.

In sheer economic size, Indonesia has a long way to go. China is still the big beast of the BRICs, weighing in at a $5.8 trillion economy. Russia is the smallest at $1.5 trillion. Indonesia is still less than half of Russia, at just over $700 billion. On economic growth, it fits the bill. Forecast growth is 6.4% this year and rising, compared with a similar average rise for the BRICs. And the size of the population fits, as well.

I put the question to the BRIC godfather himself, Jim O'Neill. He says the key criteria for entry is, quote, "an economy that is already or likely to become 3 to 5 percent of global GDP." He says for Indonesia to do that, it would require years of consecutive 10% growth.

Indonesia's investment minister thinks O'Neill is overdue for a visit to look at how and how fast Indonesia is growing.

“If he comes to Jakarta, he'll see what I'm talking about. And I think we certainly deserve to be a BRIC or a BRICI member.”

A lot, though, will depend on this man, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to lay a bedrock for the country's long-term growth. He faces tough challenges, from building a new infrastructure network, to tackling what the WEF calls widespread corruption. But what is impossible to ignore is the sense of optimism and confidence this country has at the moment.

Andrew Stevens, cnn, Jakarta.