VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has invited China to invest in water infrastructure projects in Indonesia and the development of the new national capital (IKN) Nusantara.

"We have some projects running, such as Pelosika Dam, and some collaborations that we have carried out," he informed on the sidelines of the 18th World Water Congress in Beijing, China, on Monday.

Hadimuljono attended the congress to seek possible infrastructure cooperation with China and promote Indonesia as the host of the 10th World Water Forum in 2024.

"We are sending many delegations for this year's event. We hope they will also come to the World Water Forum," he said.

He informed that the Indonesian government will continue to seek investment for IKN development, including from Asian countries.

"We will continue to establish cooperation with China, Japan, and South Korea," he disclosed.

Furthermore, the minister informed that South Korea has provided a grant for IKN development along with waste design supervision.

Meanwhile, expert staff to the PUPR Minister for technology, industry, and environment, Endra Saleh Atmawidjaja, said that one of the missions of the Indonesian delegation at the 18th World Water Congress is to encourage infrastructure cooperation with China.

"The second mission is specifically to promote bilateral relations with China. We are currently exploring them, including the Pelosika, Jenelata, and Riam Kiwa Dams, which will all be built with China's cooperation," Atmawidjaja disclosed.

The PUPR Ministry has also invited China to invest in apartment infrastructure for the public at IKN Nusantara, he noted.

According to him, the Chinese government has provided a grant of US$3.6 million for the Pelosika Dam project in Southeast Sulawesi, construction on which began in 2020.

The Indonesian Government is also collaborating with the Chinese government on the construction of three more dams, namely Jenelata Dam in South Sulawesi, Riam Kiwa Dam in South Kalimantan, and Lambakan Dam in East Kalimantan, he informed.

Infrastructure cooperation between Indonesia and China began in 2002, starting with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Chinese Ministry of Communications and the PUPR Ministry.

The MoU concerns economic and technical cooperation in bridges, roads, and infrastructure projects in Beijing.

This collaboration continues in various sectors such as water resources, waste management, and sanitation.  (Antaranews)