VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia-China relations continue to increase, especially in the economic field. However, the cooperation between the two countries should always be mutually beneficial. This statement was delivered by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during a courtesy visit to Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China Liu Keqiang, in Beijing on Friday (9/2). She encouraged both countries to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities. It is important to realize various cooperation agreements in the fields of economy, trade, and investment, as well as infrastructure, including investment in 4 economic corridors. Therefore, Minister Retno hoped that Prime Minister Liu Keqiang can continue to provide full support for the cooperation and partnership between the two countries. the Minister also expressed the need for efforts to promote the rapid and balanced growth of bilateral trade. In the meeting, Prime Minister Liu Keqiang reiterated the importance of Indonesia-China relations. The visit of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs to China was at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Vancouver participated in the Asian Studies Day at Langara College. The event which was attended by 9 Foreign Consulates, namely Philippines, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, China, Thailand and Taipei Cultural Office was used by the Asian Studies Department to encourage students to recognize the potential of Asian countries in tourism, culture and education sectors. President of Langara College, Dr. Lane Trotter, at the opening ceremony in Vancouver on Tuesday (6/2) expressed appreciation for the participation of several foreign consulates. According to him, this activity was very useful for students pursuing the subject of Asia because they could gain more insight into Asia. The opportunity of Asian Studies Day was also used by the Indonesian Consulate General of Vancouver to disseminate information about Indonesia to the students in Langara, especially about the economic potential, tourism, and the condition of the multicultural Indonesian community. Through Asian Studies Day, the Vancouver Consulate General informed about the Scholarship 2018, disseminated a positive Indonesian image survey, and promoted Indonesian products marketed in Western Canada.

Indonesia again received appreciation from the Senegalese government. Indonesia is invited as a guest of honor at the3rd Anniversary of Kaolack International Trade Fair or Foire Internationale de Kaolack – FIKA held from 1 to 14 February in Kaolack Province. Indonesia's positive image in Senegalese eyes is now increasing. Indonesia's participation in FIKA was continuously announced on Senegal radio and television. As a result, the number of exhibitors who participated in the exhibition also jumped to reach 700. Senegal Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne who officially opened the FIKA, appreciated Indonesia's willingness to act as a guest of honor country. The Senegalese Prime Minister said the Senegalese government fully supports the implementation of FIKA, as Kaolack Province is one of the most advanced regions in Senegal. In front of hundreds of invited guests, Indonesian Ambassador in Dakar, Mansyur Pangeran, in his speech said the trade cooperation between Indonesia and Senegal in recent years has increased rapidly. This increase is indicated by the abundance of Indonesian products in Senegalese traditional markets, such as palm oil, furniture, food and beverages, and electronic products.

Semarang is capital city of Central Java. This city is the fifth biggest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Bandung. The city has a lot of tourism destinations, beginning from natural, religious and historical tourism objects. One of Semarang historical tourism objects which is well known is Lawang Sewu which was built in the Dutch colonial.

Lawang Sewu was built on February 27, 1904 as head office of NIS, one of train’s companies in the Dutch East Indies. The  building has high and wide windows, like a door so that local people call it “Lawang Sewu” meaning “a thousand of doors”.

Although the building is named Lawang Sewu, in fact the building has only 429 doors. For long time, the building was not managed. But finally, Lawang Sewu in late June 2011 was renovated and re-opened for public on July 5, 2011.

Because the building was built as head office of NIS, the history of Lawang Sewu cannot be separated from railway in Indonesia. After the independence of Indonesia, the building is used as railway office of Indonesia or now PT Kereta Api Indonesia. Besides, it was used to as Office of Infrastructure of Regional Military Command and Regional Office of Ministry of Transportation in Central Java.

Meanwhile, during the struggling period, the building became a silent witness of 5-day battle in Semarang. Thus, the city’s government of Semarang in 1992 entered Lawang Sewu as one of 102 historical buildings in Semarang which should be protected.

Lawang Sewu is located at Tugu Muda complex, Jalan Pemuda, Central Semarang, Semarang, Central Java, precisely at the center of Semarang city. So, the access to this tourism object is easy. Lawang Sewu is open every day, starting from 6.00 AM until 09.00 PM local time.

The entrance ticket is Rp. 10,000 for adults, Rp. 5,000 for students and kids. If you want to enter into basement, you will be charged Rp. 30,000/person and for the tourist guide is Rp. 30,000.

Indonesian Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati confirmed that Indonesia continues to maintain good economic growth momentum by maintaining performance stability from the State Budget -APBN. Minister Sri Mulyani said this in Jakarta on Wednesday (7/2), responding to the International Monetary Fund -IMF's recent assessment to the Indonesian economy. She also said that one of the efforts to maintain the stability of the State Budget performance is to maintain the budget deficit in a controlled level and approved by the law, which is three percent for the gross domestic product -DP. According to Sri Mulyani, the consolidation of the state budget becomes a cornerstone when an economic outbreak comes from outside.

Previously, The International Monetary Fund –IMF launched the assessment results which was contained in the Consultation Report article 4 to Indonesia in 2017. The report has been discussed in the IMF Executive Council meeting in Washington DC on January 10, 2018. The IMF assessed that Indonesia is currently in a good position to overcome various social-economic challenges. The position is supported with the recovery of performance in the investment and export sectors, which growing positively since 2017. IMF estimated, with the fiscal reform scenario, the Indonesian potential growth can reach 6.5 percent on the middle term in 2022. All IMF Executive Directors in the meeting appreciated Indonesian economy and welcome the country’s short-term policy of authority which is intended to support the economic growth and keep its stability. The Board of Directors also viewed positively the efforts of the authorities that focus on public spending to priority sectors and welcomed the progress of infrastructure investment in Indonesia. The Executive Director of the IMF also emphasizes that good structural fiscal reform stages should be a priority.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), Agus Martowardojo said the IMF views are in line with the assessment of BI which believes that the resilience of the Indonesian economy is getting better. Inflation during 2017 was at a low level of 3.61 percent (year on year). So, over the last three years, inflation has been successfully controlled within the target range. According to him, the economic growth in 2017 reached 5.07 percent supported by the improvement of infrastructure investment by the government and the role of private investment. In addition, the improvement was marked by a healthy current account balance and high inflows of foreign capital, as well as a stable Rupiah exchange rate. With these developments, Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves at the end of 2017 reached the highest record in the history of $130.2 billion dollars. In line with that, the stability of financial system during 2017 is still maintained.

Jambi is a province in Sumatra island. The region is located precisely on the east coast of Sumatra island. Like other provinces, Jambi also offers a variety of interesting places to visit. It is famous for its Malay City, but actually the province also has many natural and artificial tourist attractions. For natural tourism, Jambi has Mount Kerinci and Muaro Temple. While for artificial tourism, the region has Jambi Paradise, a modern tourism object.

Jambi Paradise is located at the intersection of Acai, Gelam river, and Jambi City. Its tourist objects offer a variety of natural beauty and exciting tourist activities, such as playing boats, flying fox, and enjoying the labyrinth zone. To visit Jambi Paradise, from Sultan Thaha Airport, it is 7.5 km with approximately 10 minutes via Soekarno-Hatta street. Entering this tourism site, you are required to pay Rp.20.000 fees on weekdays, and Rp. 30,000 on holiday. The opening hours from 8 am to 6 pm.

When entering the Jambi Paradise, you will be greeted with alley from vines with birds and chickens on the right and left side of the area. This 30-meter long aisle is one of the instagramable places in Jambi Paradise. You can make photographs by yourself or selfie in the aisle. Not far from the object, it looks bamboo strands on the right and left side that give coolness when sitting under it. While on the top, you can find a suspension bridge. Jambi Paradise has a major tourist object such as quite large water tourism, with the main design of a small lake that surrounding the mainland in the middle. If you are tired of traveling around the area, you can rent saung around the edge of the lake to enjoy some snacks or just enjoy young coconut ice.

Besides traveling and taking pictures in the instagramble spots, you can also try various interesting places in Jambi Paradise. You can try Flying Fox which is the longest flying fox in Jambi with ticket price Rp.30.000 per person.

Just below the Flying Fox, there is also a suspension bridge. You can test your adrenaline by climbing this suspension bridge with the ticket of Rp20.000. For those who want to exercise, you can also rent a bike in Jambi Paradise to get around the area. You can also rent an ATV motorcycle which is located not far from the entrance of Jambi Paradise. Other interesting facilities in the Jambi Paradise are boats, water bikes and also water balloons.