VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm held the Indonesian Investment Forum at the World Trade Center, Stockholm, Sweden, on Thursday (10/17). The forum was meant to share with Swedish businesspeople investment opportunities offered by Indonesia, especially in the renewable energy, digitalization, and sustainable infrastructure sectors.

The official statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm, received in Jakarta, stated that the forum brought together parties, including government officials, business leaders, and major investors from Indonesia and Sweden.

The Indonesian Investment Forum opens up space to create agreements among businesses in both countries, strengthen cooperation, and significantly increase Swedish investment in Indonesia.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Sweden, Kamapradipta Isnomo, reaffirmed that Indonesia welcomed Swedish investors by offering various opportunities in joint growth sectors. According to him, Indonesia is committed to working with Swedish companies to achieve common mutually beneficial goals, encouraging innovation, and sustainability.

In addition to discussing investment opportunities, this forum also highlighted Sweden's investment performance in Indonesia, which continues to increase.

Swedish investment realization until the third quarter of 2024 reached 172.65 million US dollars, three times the total investment in 2023 of 50.4 million US dollars. This increase reflects the growing interest of Swedish companies to invest in Indonesia, with an increasingly conducive investment climate.

This forum was enthusiastically welcomed by 34 company leaders, business leaders, program directors, and managers from various industries in Sweden. The Indonesian Embassy also invited a number of key speakers who emphasized that Indonesia is a dynamic investment destination with great economic potential that continues to grow.

The speakers were Nurul Ichwan from the Indonesian Ministry of Investment, Investment Coordinating Board; Farida Peranginangin as Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in London; Zainal Arifin from the state power company PT PLN; Shinta W. Kamdani, General Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association; and Erik Odar as Swedish Trade Commissioner for Indonesia.

The Indonesia Investment Forum is an important step in strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations between Indonesia and Sweden. For that reason, the Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm will continue to facilitate dialogues that support economic cooperation between the two countries for a more prosperous and sustainable future.

The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing invited entrepreneurs from Shandong as the province with the 3rd largest Gross Domestic Product in China  to expand business in Indonesia.  Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia,  Djauhari Oratmangun  believes  that Shandong Province offers a lot of potential for Indonesia.  Several ministers from Indonesia have witnessed this potential during their visit to Qingdao, Shandong.  Ambassador Djauhari conveyed this during the Business Forum “Encouraging Stronger Economic Cooperation between Indonesia and China” organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Qingdao on Wednesday (16/10).  

The forum was attended by around 50 companies in Shandong and surrounding areas engaged in, such as green energy, biotechnology,  pharmaceuticals, artificial  intelligence,  automotive,  food  and agriculture.  According to Ambassador Djauhari,  the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing wants to expand its network with many businesses and industries in Shandong.

He further conveyed that Qingdao continues to prioritize investment in infrastructure,  high-tech industries  and emerging strategic industries.  He hopes to work together to explore collaboration in this field. Ambassador Djauhari  also pointed out that based on data  in 2023, the volume of bilateral trade between Indonesia and China reached US$ 139, 41 billion with a surplus on the Indonesian side. From January to August 2024, Indonesia's trade value has reached US$ 92.7 billion or an increase of 15 percent compared to the previous period in 2023.  China is also listed as the second largest source of investment in Indonesia. In 2023, investment from China reached US$ 7.4 billion. 

Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Lutfi Rauf presented opportunities and potential for cooperation between Central Sulawesi Province -Sulteng, Indonesia and Egypt, particularly in the fields of economy, investment and trade.Based on the press release of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia -KBRI Cairo on Tuesday (15/10), Ambassador Lutfi Rauf in his presentation at the Central Sulawesi Governor's Office on Monday (14/10) pointed out that the trade relations between Indonesia and Egypt have been very well established. He also explained that there are  two factors that affect the good relations of both countries, first  because Egypt is a country on the African continent  which immediately recognized the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia after being proclaimed by Soekarno-Hatta. Second, it is because the majority of the Indonesian and Egyptian population is Islam. It accelerates business communication between business people of the two countries.

Moreover,  Trade Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo,  M. Syahran Bhakti pointed out Egypt is one of Indonesia's strategic trading partners in Africa. He also mentioned that in January-August 2024, the total trade between the two countries reached 1.09 billion US or around 15.7 trillion rupiah  with the value of Indonesia's exports to Egypt reaching 975.8 million US or around 15.2 trillion rupiah or an increase of 10.94 percent compared to the value of exports in the same period in 2023. Syahran further conveyed that the volume of Indonesian trade to Egypt has increased especially since the pandemic. Robusta coffee beans are the best-selling commodity and are in great demand. While Indonesia imports a lot of dates from Egypt.

Meanwhile, Acting Economic Function of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Rifki Rustam Arsyad conveyed that there are  many opportunities for investment cooperation between Egypt and Indonesia that can be encouraged together, especially in the fields of plantations, tropical fruits  as well as fishery and seafood products.  Rifki also stated that the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo along with the Indonesian Investment Promotion Center in Abu Dhabi plans to promote investment in Cairo in November 2024.

Rifki hopes that with this meeting, the investment potential in Central Sulawesi can be promoted and attract Egyptian investors to enter Central Sulawesi.Acting Governor of Central Sulawesi, represented by Assistant II for Economic and Development Affairs, Rudi Dewanto, appreciated the visit of Ambassador Lutfi Rauf to bring bilateral relations of both countries closer in global trade and investment. The meeting was very appropriate to convey the potential of the Central Sulawesi region which was ready to be absorbed by the Egyptian market.

Rudi also said that the Central Sulawesi region is rich in potential commodities that might be wanted by Egypt,  such as coconut, coffee, rubber, durian, candlenut, vanilla, cloves, swallow's nest, frozen fish, vannamei shrimp, crabs, shells and natural gas. Of these commodities, coffee and coconut are prioritized for export to Egypt,  because Egypt's entry fee tariff is zero percent and is considered very profitable for Indonesia.

The Pesta Indonesia Fukuoka 2024 took place at Tenjin Central Park in Fukuoka, Japan from Oct 12th until Oct 13^th. According to ANTARA on Tuesday (Oct 15th), the event featured Indonesian arts, cuisine, and cultural performances. The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo reported that the event drew more than 2.000 visitors, including local residents.

Indonesia's Deputy Chief to Japan, Maria Renata Hutagalung mentioned that that Pesta Indonesia Fukuoka 2024 attracted not only the Indonesians living in Japan, but also the locals. She also explained that the event was held to celebrate the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Day with a range of activities intended to introduce Indonesian culture.

Maria stated that this event drew locals’ attention to Indonesian culture and cuisine. Even the Japanese who attended the event set up food stalls for popular Indonesian dishes like Rendang and Nasi Goreng. She also stated that this event plays a crucial role in strengthening bilateral relationsas well as opening opportunities to cooperation for both nations.

During the event, the embassy provided services to issue 501 passports for Indonesian citizens along with consular assistance, immigration information, and other services. The embassy also conducted outreach on immigration policies and distributed Indonesian cultural-themed souvenirs. Immigration Attaché, Arya Pradhana Anggakara hoped that the participation of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo would make it easier to provide services for Indonesians living in Fukuoka and nearby areas.