Indonesian VP supports expansion of cooperation with China
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said here on Monday that he supports the expansion of cooperation between Indonesia and China, including Zhejiang Province.
Amin conveyed the statement while receiving the chairperson of the standing committee of the People’s Congress of Zhejiang and secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – Zhejiang provincial committee, Yi Lianhong, in Jakarta on Monday.
“There are some aspects that I want to highlight to strengthen collaboration between Indonesia and China. First, strengthening investment cooperation. I laud the huge investment interest from Zhejiang as one of the main sources of Chinese investors in Indonesia,” he said.
In 2022, US$1.81 billion or 21.9 percent of China’s total investment of US$8.2 billion in Indonesia came from Zhejiang companies in the nickel production sector, he noted.
Amin said he expects the cooperation between China and Indonesia to widen through the ongoing investment program.
“In addition to investment in mining and mineral downstreaming, I hope there will be expansion into other Indonesia’s important sectors, such as infrastructure, connectivity, energy transition, and green economy,” he expounded.
In addition, he said there is a need to increase cooperation in the halal trade and industry sector, such as halal food and cosmetic products.
He then invited business actors in Zhejiang to take advantage of Indonesia’s large market potential, especially in halal food and beverages, halal pharmaceuticals, halal cosmetics, and halal product certification.
China and Indonesia need to increase people-to-people relations and cooperation in education through scholarships or vocational training in order to strengthen Chinese investment in Indonesia, he added.
“I hope the Zhejiang provincial government can continue to encourage educational cooperation with more scholarships for Indonesian students and vocational education to support Chinese investment in Indonesia. I also invite more tourists from Zhejiang to visit Indonesia,” he said.