VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta - Indonesia's airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I temporarily suspended 158 flights from and to China from Wednesday, (Feb 5), in accordance with the government's policy to thwart the entry of coronavirus into the country.

"In accordance with the president's directives on the temporary suspension of flights to and from China since this February 5, several Angkasa Pura I airports have temporarily closed down flight operations to and from China as a matter of fact since the end of January," President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I Faik Fahmi noted in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

Angkasa Pura I's airports that serve flights, with routes to and from China in 2020 include the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali; Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manador, North Sulawesi Province; and Adi Soemarmo Airport in Solo, Central Java.

The authorities of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali canceled 125 flights per week from 22 destinations in China. Seven airlines serving the routes to and from China are China Eastern, with 14 flights per week; China Southern, 10 flights per week; Citilink, 11 flights per week; Lion Air, 29 flights a week; Xiamen Air, 14 flights per week; Garuda Indonesia, 22 flights per week; and Sriwijaya Air, 25 flights per week.

At the Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, 28 flights a week were canceled from 10 destinations. Five airlines serving the routes are China Southern, with three flights per week; Citilink, four flights per week; Lion Air, 15 flights per week; and Xiamen Air, four flights per week.

In the meantime, since January 30, 2020, the Adi Soemarmo Airport in Solo has temporarily suspended chartered or unscheduled flights from and to China, Kunming. On January 29, a total of 174 Chinese tourists, who had visited Solo, returned to Kunming.

Angkasa Pura I has actively participated in raising awareness of the dangers of coronavirus and its prevention among all passengers at 14 airports. Angkasa Pura I has also set up a coronavirus handling post including one at the Yogyakarta International Airport.

Faik stated that Angkasa Pura I had also diverted its focus on the condition of airport officials, so that they could serve with the best conditions and safely.(ANTARA)

Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has sought the assistance of state-owned and private companies to fund researches in addition to funds from the State Budget.

Researches must be conducted comprehensively and be pertinent to the industry requirements, Jokowi stated while chairing a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Thursday.

The head of state emphasized the importance of the research process and downstreaming in a bid to produce superior products.

"Research funding should be adequate, so it would not be conducted halfheartedly. Hence, researches need funds not only derived from the state budget (APBN) but also sourced from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the private sector," he remarked.

He sought a research road map that adapted to a downstream concept. Hence, the road map should include the downstream aspects of research until the mass production stage.

Jokowi expressed hope that universities and scientists would conduct research based on concepts applicable to industries.

The president lauded research-based technology products produced so far, such as submarines made by shipbuilding company PT PAL in Surabaya and drones, catalysts, ship construction technology, and stem cell technology developed by the University of Indonesia (UI) and the Cipto Mangunkusumo Public Hospital, among others. (ANTARA)

China plans to halve tariffs on 1,717 goods it imports from the US as the country faces the fresh challenge of the coronavirus. Chinese officials said tariffs on some goods would be cut from to 5% from 10%, and on others from 5% to 2.5%.

The two countries have been stuck in a long-running trade war with both imposing tariffs on imported products. A partial resolution was agreed last month with China promising to boost imported US goods by $200bn.

This latest announcement to reduce tariffs is China's first response to the "phase one" agreement. China's economy has been under additional pressure this year as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to derail the economy. Factories across the country remain closed and its manufacturing sector faces a severe drop in production.

The tariff cuts, which cover $75bn of US goods coming into China, will take effect on 14 February. Tariffs remain on a further $35bn worth of US goods. The US will also roll back some tariffs on Chinese goods as part of the agreement.

It is being seen as a significant step towards resolving the US-China trade war. In a statement, China's finance ministry said the aim was ''to promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations''.

Talking about the timing of the tariff reductions, Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, said: ''Perhaps they want to show goodwill and send the message that they are still committed to de-escalating trade tensions despite the coronavirus delaying the ramp-up in their imports from the US''.

Stock markets around Asia rallied on the news. Both Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Japan's Nikkei 225 both rose 2.6% following the announcement.(BBC)

Chinese attendees are not welcome at India's Auto Expo next week due to concerns about the coronavirus.

Chinese guests are prevented from attending the show because of "government policy" an Indian Society of Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) spokeswoman said.

Yet Chinese cars will be on display.

Other events across Asia will be missing the large delegations that usually come from Chinese firms because of travel restrictions.

India and China have much at stake in spurring domestic car sales as well as exports, making such industry events vital to drum up business.

New Indian car sales fell 16% last year and China, the world's largest car market, saw an 8% dip as both markets saw increased turnover in used cars. However there is interest in newer models in the electric vehicle segment, according to Chinese market consultancy LMC Automotive and SIAM figures.

India's Tata Motors, owner of the Land Rover and Jaguar brands, has developed electric car models for sale at home and abroad, while China's SAIC Motor and Great Wall Motor also offer electric vehicles for the domestic and export markets. That makes auto shows like the one in India next week important venues to showcase the newest models.

With hotels and conference fees paid in advance and lunch and dinner meetings arranged months earlier, missing a big industry show has a major ripple effect on economic activity. Events like the Auto Expo in suburban New Delhi, or the Singapore air show due to take place next week draw thousands of out-of-town guests.

In China, the conference circuit has come to a standstill with over 20,000 infections and more than 420 people dead as the virus spreads from the epicentre of the city of Wuhan.

In the case of the Singapore Airshow organisers have faced cancellations by vendors from China, including aircraft maker Comac, and reduced attendance by companies from elsewhere in the world concerned about the spread of the virus outside of China. Singapore has reported 24 cases. India to date has seen three coronavirus cases.

To mitigate the impact, both events have highlighted plans to screen throngs of guests for fever and ensure thorough sanitation measures as well as access to medical care to ensure they can carry on even at reduced attendance.(BBC)