VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday he will travel to China from Nov. 4 to 7 to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in a bid to stabilise relations with the country's biggest trading partner.

The announcement of the trip to Beijing and Shanghai, the first by an Australian leader to China since 2016, came after a breakthrough on Saturday in resolving a dispute with China over its wine tariffs that have battered the industry.

China's Commerce Ministry said on Sunday the two sides had reached a consensus to settle the WTO wine dispute as well as a dispute over Australian duties on Chinese wind towers.

Patching up relations with China, which had deteriorated over several years due to disputes over telecoms firm Huawei, espionage and COVID, has been a top priority for Albanese since he took office in 2022.

"It is important that we stabilise our relationship with China," Albanese said.

On the visit, the leaders will discuss cooperation in areas such as economic links, climate change and "links between our people", he said in a statmement.

"I look forward to further engaging with President Xi and Premier Li in Australia's national interest," he said.

Speaking in Canberra, Albanese said Australia late on Saturday had reached a deal with China to move forward to solve its World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over wine, potentially clearing the way for the resumption of imports worth $800 million a year before the duties were imposed in 2021.

"We have agreed on the issue of wine for there to be a review of China's position on wine tariffs to be conducted over the next months," Albanese told reporters.

"We will suspend our action before the WTO, but we're very confident that this will result in once again Australian wine, a great product, being able to go to China free of the tariffs."

Albanese did not mention duties on wind towers in his comments. However, on Oct. 16, Australia's Anti-Dumping Commission recommended lifting anti-dumping measures on Chinese wind towers. No final decision has been made yet.

"China and Australia are important trading partners of each other, and we are willing to work with the Australian side to continue to meet each other halfway through dialogue and consultation," China's Commerce ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that China and Australia held "friendly consultations" on WTO disputes of mutual concern over various items, and was willing to "jointly promote the stable and healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations."

The announcements are the latest in a diplomatic thaw that has already seen China lift restrictions on imports of Australian coal, timber and barley, which Beijing had targeted after Canberra called for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

The duties of up to 218% on most Australian wines were imposed in March 2021, causing trade to collapse in what had been the most valuable export market for the country's winemakers. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Health confirmed the presence of seven active cases of monkeypox (mpox) in Indonesia, with all of them being detected in Jakarta.

"Currently, there are seven active cases of mpox with local transmission," the ministry's Technical Staff for Health Transformation, Dr Ngabila Salama, stated at an online talk show on mpox on Monday.

According to Salama, the seven active cases were from local transmissions, even though one of the patients had a history of traveling abroad.

She further revealed that the seven patients are currently undergoing isolation at designated hospitals as part of the mpox management protocol.

"The symptoms are mild. Currently, we are still waiting for the (patients') recovery," she remarked.

Salama noted that the seven mpox patients are men in the age bracket of 25-35 years that had contracted the viral disease from sexual contact.

Nevertheless, she emphasized that a person can contract mpox in other ways apart from sexual contact.

"The transmission can also occur through droplets, viruses that stick to surrounding objects, and skin-to-skin contact," she explained.

Hence, she stated that the government is implementing procedures for handling mpox to prevent and control its spread.

"The Indonesian Ministry of Health and the Jakarta Provincial Government are carrying out (measures to) detect, prevent, and respond to prevent an outbreak," she remarked.

She appealed to the community to implement a clean and healthy lifestyle to avoid mpox transmission.

It includes wearing masks, washing hands after engaging in activities; avoiding skin-to-skin contact and contact with wounds; ensuring that sexual activities are safe, healthy, and clean; and avoiding sexual activities when ill.

Furthermore, she appealed to the community to report to the nearest community health center (puskesmas) if they experience fever accompanied by lesions in the form of lumps filled with water or pus. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will participate in the groundbreaking activity of the VVIP (Very Very Important Person) Airport in the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara on November 1.

"(The groundbreaking) is ready. Maybe on November 1," Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono stated when met at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.

Hadimuljono affirmed that the government has made all preparations to carry out the activity to commence development of the VVIP Airport.

The minister stated that President Jokowi would personally lay down the first brick of the airport after concluding his working visit to West Sumatra Province in late October.

By developing the VVIP Airport, the government is aiming to provide a high level of convenience to investors in reaching the future capital city of Indonesia, he noted.

"Investors will be able to reach the city faster. People can enter IKN through the city's airport," he explained.

He further revealed that in addition to participating in the groundbreaking activity, the president will personally inspect the progress in development of Nusantara.

According to Hadimuljono, the government has managed to reach 30 percent of completion in the development of the city located in East Kalimantan Province.

Earlier, on August 30, the minister stated that the task of constructing the airport had been assigned to the PUPR Ministry and the Ministry of Transportation.

"We share the assignment. The PUPR Ministry will build the runway, toll road access to the VVIP airport, aprons, and taxiways, while the Transportation Ministry will handle construction of the terminal," he noted.

He revealed that the entire design of the VVIP Airport, including the runway, has been prepared by the Ministry of Transportation.

"All the designs came from the Ministry of Transportation," he remarked.

Meanwhile, on August 5, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi emphasized that his ministry aims to highlight Kalimantan's culture in the airport's construction.

"We will invest maximum efforts to ensure that the airport's architecture showcases Kalimantan's culture while embracing the concept of a green airport," he stated.

He also expressed hope that the airport would be operational by the 79th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day next year.

"We are preparing for the airport's construction, with its runway and terminals designed by the nation's talents. We hope the airport will be operational by August 17, 2024," he stated.

Based on data, as much as Rp4.28 trillion (approximately US$268.5 million) has been allocated from the State Budget (APBN) for constructing the airport's runway, which will measure 3,000 x 45 meters and be capable of serving large aircraft, such as Boeing 777-300 ER and Airbus A380.

The airport will also be equipped with a helipad, with a capacity of three helicopters. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Four districts in Papua Province will simultaneously export fishery products to Japan while hosting the 2023 Sail Teluk Cenderawasih (STC) national tourism event through the Frans Kaisiepo International Airport in Biak Numfor District.

Biak Numfor District, Sarmi District, Waropen District, and Yapen Islands District are scheduled to host the event on November 1-7 this year.

"We are aiming to directly export as much as 30 tons of fishery and marine products from the airport in Biak to Narita, Japan, during the STC in November," Head of Biak Numfor District's Fishery Office, Effendi Igirisa, stated in Biak, Papua, on Monday.

According to the official, Biak Numfor will export yellowfin tuna, while Sarmi, Yapen, and Waropen districts will export mackerel fish, barramundi fish, and crabs, respectively.

President Joko Widodo is scheduled to personally send off the export products of the four districts during the 2023 STC at the Frans Kaisiepo Airport, he noted.

He then expressed hope that the four districts would succeed in exporting their fishery products to Japan during the event.

"The organizing committee (in Biak) continues to encourage three other hosts of the STC to jointly export their fishery products," Igirisa stated.

He remarked that apart from the export activity, the organizing committee will also hold a festival of sashimi, an iconic Japanese food consisting of sliced fresh raw fish or meat.

At the festival, the organizing committee will serve as many as 10 thousand portions of sashimi for free for visitors and tourists, he stated.

In addition to the two activities, the 2023 STC will feature a series of agendas, including an exhibition for micro, small and medium enterprises; entertainment sessions; local cultural arts attractions; a food bazaar; and a yacht parade.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated earlier in February this year that the STC would serve as an event that focuses on three aspects.

"The three main focuses of this event are fishery exports, investment, and regional potential development," he remarked.

He also expressed optimism that the event would help the Papua region express the spirit of unity and togetherness in regional development through collaboration between numerous stakeholders. (Antaranews)