VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chinese and Russian leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit on the resort island of Bali this November, a longtime adviser to the Indonesian president said on Friday.

Andi Widjajanto, former cabinet secretary and unofficial adviser to President Joko Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi, told Reuters the two leaders would join the summit.

"Jokowi told me that Xi and Putin are both planning to attend in Bali," Widjajanto, who heads the National Resilience Institute, told Reuters.

On Thursday, Jokowi told Bloomberg News that both leaders had given him their assurances. Indonesian presidential officials did not respond to requests for confirmation of the report.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A Kremlin spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg, but another official familiar with the situation told the news agency Putin plans to attend the meeting in person.

The trip would be significant given it would be Xi's first time outside China since January 2020, when he visited Myanmar.

China maintains a zero-COVID policy that has all but shut its borders to international travel.

Since then, Xi made his only trip outside of mainland China on June 30, visiting Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover of the territory from British control.

Xi is widely expected to secure a precedent-breaking third leadership term during a once-in-five-years congress of the ruling Communist Party scheduled for this autumn, most likely before he would head to Bali for the mid-November G20 gathering.

No dates have been announced for the party congress, but the last two took place in late October and early November.

Chinese officials are also reportedly making plans for a November meeting in Southeast Asia between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden, who is expected to attend the G20 summit in Bali, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

As head of the G20 this year, Indonesia has faced pressure from Western countries to withdraw its invitation to Putin over his country's invasion on Ukraine, which his government calls a "special military operation".

Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy to attend the Bali summit.

Jokowi has sought to position himself as mediator between the warring countries, and has in recent months travelled to meet both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents to call for an end to the war, and seek ways to ease the global food crisis.

This week, Jokowi said both countries have accepted Indonesia as a "bridge of peace". (reuters)

President Joko Widodo's visits to Kiev and Moscow at the end of last June had an extraordinary effect. As a result, there is now no pressure on Indonesia as the President of the G20 in the midst of the war in Ukraine.

“There is no longer any concern about being cornered, let alone. We just invite Ukraine to a ministerial meeting," said Commission I Member Muhammad Farhan when confirmed in Jakarta, Thursday (18/8/2022).

He explained that the G20 could not be a forum for peace or to reconcile wars, but could be a forum for finding solutions. Therefore, he wants to see the maturity of America and its allies to make this forum a part of efforts to reach that solution.

“At the beginning of the Ukraine war we received tremendous pressure from the United States and its allies, not to invite Russia and the countries supporting Russia. However, with an extraordinary maneuver from President Jokowi directly to Ukraine followed by a visit to Russia, all the pressure disappeared," said the member of the House of Representatives from the National Democratic Faction.

“Shows that actually what was done with Indonesia as President of the G20, had a tremendous impact. In a sense, the snowball effect is extraordinary," said Farhan again.

The G20 Summit under the Indonesian Presidency will be held on November 15-16 in Bali. Since February, Indonesia has been sending out invitations to leaders of member countries, including Ukraine, to attend the summit. (RRI)

Indonesia will host the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers. The agenda is scheduled to take place from 1-9 October 2022.

PSSI as the organizer trusted by the AFC, has not determined where to hold the Group B qualifiers. So far, only Jakarta has become the strongest option.

However, it is possible that it will be held elsewhere. Can be in Yogyakarta, Bandung, or other locations.

"We are communicating with the AFC regarding the location of the host. Just wait for further information," PSSI chairman M. Iriawan told reporters earlier this week.

Indonesia will be the host for Group B qualification. Then there are Malaysia, the UAE, Guam, and Palestine.

The 2023 U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers are looking for 15 teams who are entitled to qualify for the finals. So what is taken is the 10 qualifying group winners, plus the best five runners-up.

One other place automatically belongs to the host. So that the total participants of the U-17 Asian football championship are 16 teams.

The 2023 U-17 Asian Cup will also be used to qualify for the 2023 U-17 World Cup. The four teams that qualify for the Asian Cup semifinals will qualify for the World Cup in Peru in 2023. (RRI)

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said the risk of corruption is easy to occur during a crisis, not least during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, according to him, the uncertainty of the financial climate is also a risk factor for corruption.

"We must not be careless in dealing with problems. The risk of corruption and violations in corporate governance also increases during a crisis," said Airlangga in the B20-G20 Dialogue: Integrity and Compliance Task Force, Friday (19/8/2022).

The risks, said Coordinating Minister Airlangga, are in the form of bribery, money laundering, terrorism financing, and cyber crime. This was triggered by a number of factors, such as the volatile financial climate, the shifting of the company's focus on risk mitigation and crisis management, to the increasing threat of cybersecurity along with the rapid digital transformation during the pandemic.

"For this reason, companies are required to be able to take adequate corruption mitigation steps. This is through the implementation of good corporate governance practices and transparency in reporting," he said.

According to him, good governance based on transparency will maintain national and even international security, as well as support business operations. As part of the Open Government Partnership, the government seeks to build synergies with all stakeholders.

This, he continued, in order to support the eradication of corrupt practices. And create a pandemic response that is transparent, effective and fair in the long term.

In the G20 Indonesia Presidency, this synergy is carried out in various ways, including through the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG). The government encourages G20 member countries to adopt the common principles of Cross-border Data Flow and Reliable Free Flow of Data consisting of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, and reciprocity.

"The Trusted Flow of Data is one form of structural transformation. This is to create a balanced, inclusive, and multilateral global order," he said.

In addition, there is also the Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) which focuses on increasing transparency and accountability for both the public and private sectors. Then, through the Paris agreement, Indonesia will also increase the transparency of various efforts in dealing with the impacts of climate change as a commitment.

He added that it was also to advocate for a green economy. So as to achieve the sustainable development agenda in 2030.

“In the midst of uncertainty, B20 raised issues that are very important to maintain business sustainability. This is very important," Airlangga concluded. (RRI)