VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar during a high-level talk between Indonesia and Romania, held online on Thursday (April 1, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Kemlu RI)

Indonesia and Romania have agreed to increase cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, counter-terrorism, COVID-19 handling, and mutual support at international forums during high-level talks held virtually on Thursday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar and director general of American and European affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Ngurah Swajaya, co-chaired the Indonesian delegation at the meeting, according to a written statement released on Friday.

"We identified priority sectors for cooperation in the fields of industry, digital technology, communication, and transportation, including cooperation in the port sector," Siregar informed.

He also highlighted trade barriers imposed by the European Union against palm oil during the meeting and asked Romania, as a member of the 27-nation bloc, to deal with them.

Indonesian palm oil has met the specified standards, he said adding, the barriers have also had an impact on coconut oil, which is one of the main products of Indonesia and several other ASEAN member states.In an effort to improve economic and trade cooperation, Indonesia and Romania have encouraged direct contact between the business agents of the two nations, Siregar said. Hopefully, the meeting of the Working Group on Trade, Industry and Investment (WGTII) between the two nations, scheduled for October, 2021, will contribute to promoting cooperation between the two countries, he added.

During Thursday’s meeting, the Indonesian delegation also invited Romania to join the hybrid business meeting between Indonesia and Central and Eastern European countries in mid-2021.

Romanian Foreign Minister Cornel Feruta, who led the Romanian delegation at the meeting, offered his sympathy to Indonesia over the suicide bombing outside Cathedral Church in Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province, on Sunday (March 28, 2021).

Feruta also expressed his country's support for Indonesia's efforts to thwart terrorism.He further drew attention to the large potential for cooperation between the two nations. Romania may serve as a gateway for Indonesian products to the European Union, while Indonesia can become a gateway for Romanian products to the (ASEAN) regional market, he said.

Indonesia and Romania opened diplomatic relations in 1950.

Trade between the two countries reached US$153.4 million in 2020, up 0.8 percent compared to US$152.2 million a year earlier. Indonesia recorded a surplus of US$64.5 million in 2020, with its exports to Romania reaching US$108.9 million.

Indonesia is also one of the tourist destinations frequented by Romanian travelers. In 2019, a total of 18,650 Romanian tourists visited Indonesia, an increase of 32.3 percent compared to 14,092 in 2018//ANT

Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi. (ANTARA / Screenshot of the Presidential Secretariat Youtube / pri)

Minister of Trade, M Lutfi, has revealed that Indonesia and China are planning to triple bilateral trade from US$31 billion to US$100 billion in the next three years.

"On the occasion of this bilateral meeting, we had the opportunity to talk with our partner, namely the Ministry of Trade of the People's Republic of China (PRC). There are several points that can be given. First is a new target in the next three years in which we will triple the trade between the two countries. Currently, US$31 billion (in trade) will become US$100 billion in 2024,” Lutfi said during an online press conference with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and SOEs Minister Erick Thohir in Wuyi, Fujian, People's Republic of China on Friday.

The two countries will also explore a trade cooperation agreement — the Bilateral Economic and Trade Cooperation (BETC) — signed in 2011 to turn it into a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), he added.

"This TIFA will be at a higher level. It is possible that we will discuss deepening the trade activities of the two countries with the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA scheme," he said.During the meeting, the Trade Minister informed, the two sides also discussed low-hanging fruit in order to improve the trade balance between the two countries.

“So, I can report that earlier we agreed on at least five (Chinese) companies that will import swallow's nests from Indonesia for more than US$1.13 billion, and also add exports and investments for furniture products from Shandong Wood and Furniture, with the amount more than US$200 million," he said.

Further, 150 Chinese companies will bring in investment of US$1.38 billion into West Kalimantan and employ more than three thousand workers, he added.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, because with this cooperation, we will improve not only the trade balance, but also good economic relations between the two countries," Lutfi said//ANT

(From left to right) — Minister Erick Thohir, Minister Retno Marsudi, and Minister M Lutfi. (Photo: Indonesian embassy in Beijing)

Indonesia’s Minister of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs), Erick Thohir, and vice chairman of State-Owned Asset Supervision and Administration (SASAC) of China, Ren Hongbin, recently discussed ways to intensify cooperation between SOEs in the two countries.

“I held meetings with them to learn how China has succeeded in reforming and transforming their SOEs to become more efficient, make maximum contributions to society, and become world-class players. Indonesia's SOEs and Chinese SOEs have similar missions and visions for their respective countries," Thohir said at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Trade Minister M Lutfi in Wuyi, Fujian, China, on Friday.

Both Indonesian SOEs and Chinese SOEs have been contributing to their respective societies in addition to helping increase state revenues, he noted.

"However, there are differences between them and us. Imagine, in the list of 500 companies from the 2020 Forbes Global 2000, 48 of them are Chinese SOEs managed by SASAC, while our own SOEs are only 2 on the list - BRI and Mandiri," he pointed out.SASAC is a Chinese government agency that manages 97 Chinese state-owned enterprises.

During the meeting, both parties agreed to continue holding dialogues and creating a more concrete platform for SOE cooperation between the two countries, Thohir said.

To realize sustainable cooperation, SASAC has invited the SOE Ministry and Indonesia's SOEs to have regular meetings with SASAC and Chinese SOEs, he added.

Furthermore, SASAC and the Indonesian ministry will also review several cooperation projects in the electricity sector and world-class fisheries investment cooperation for the eastern region of Indonesia, the minister said//ANT

EV battery - KR Asia 

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir discussed the sustainability of the partnership for the development of electric vehicle (EV) batteries with Chinese manufacturers during his visit to China.

"What we want to ensure is that the sustainability of this partnership can indeed run on time, even be accelerated," Thohir remarked during a joint press conference with the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade in Wuyi, Fujian, People's Republic of China on Friday.

Thohir said his meeting was related to the construction of EV batteries by the Indonesian Battery Corporation consortium comprising PLN, Pertamina, MIND ID, and ANTAM, and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) and CBL, at an investment of approximately US$5 billion.

The SOEs Minister also assured that his party and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) were ready to work together to resolve all obstacles that could hinder the entry of investment related to the construction of EV batteries in Indonesia."We as the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises also want to ensure that if there are any difficulties or obstacles in the field, of course, we will cooperate with BKPM to ensure that we can resolve all obstacles that could hinder the entry of these investments," he said.

Earlier, he had revealed that the establishment of the Indonesia Battery Corporation, or IBC, was a bold step to make Indonesia a global player in the electric vehicle battery business, or EV Battery.

Regarding partnerships with foreign producers, the minister said that the partnership was mutually beneficial where the parties did not turn a blind eye to Indonesia's shortcomings, but built on the synergy of several companies that were also partners//ANT