The last complete census of the Dutch East Indies was held in 1930 and counted 1,233,000 self-identified ethnic Chinese living in the colony.The convention did not explicitly solve the problem of dual nationality as notes attached to the document indicated it was not meant to define citizenship.Opposition of the treaty from Catholic and Protestant parties became apparent during a June working session with the foreign affairs committee of the People's Representative Council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, DPR).After the Djuanda Cabinet approved the treaty for a second time in August, Foreign Minister Subandrio personally urged the DPR to make its passage a high priority on the legislative agenda.[10]When the provisions of the Beijing exchange became public, many Indonesians began to speculate who would be considered exempt from the requirement of formally choosing a citizenship.
Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers Zhou Enlai and Sunario sign the treaty.
Ali Sastroamidjojo
is greeted by Zhou Enlai upon his arrival in Beijing, 26 May 1955.