VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received the honorary visit of China's Foreign Affairs Minister Qin Gang at the Merdeka Palace here on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, who accompanied President Jokowi at the meeting, stated that it was the first official visit of Minister Qin after being appointed as the new foreign affairs minister in December 2022.

"This visit is the first official visit of the Chinese foreign affairs minister to our region, and for this time, Jakarta is the only destination," Marsudi remarked after the meeting, according to a statement from the Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat received here.

According to Marsudi, President Jokowi conveyed to Minister Qin about the importance of increasing mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Indonesia and China.

Moreover, she highlighted that China was Indonesia's biggest trade partner, and the trade balance between both nations was getting increasingly balanced.

The president also discussed with Qin about several strategic partnerships between Indonesia and China that need to be improved.

Some of the partnerships include the completion of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, construction of a green industrial park in Kalimantan, construction of Indonesia's new capital city Nusantara, and the downstreaming of industries that the Indonesian government is currently intensifying.

"The Chinese foreign affairs minister conveyed his commitment to continue to improve relations or economic cooperation with Indonesia, including to increase imports from Indonesia, especially of agricultural products," Marsudi explained.

Jokowi also accentuated the importance of Indonesia and China taking on the role of the drivers of peace and stability in the region, as they were the prerequisites for economic development.

According to Marsudi, Minister Qin also expressed China's support for Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship.

Apart from Minister Marsudi, President Jokowi was also accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung at Wednesday's meeting. (Antaranews)