VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nong Rong and Director General of Asia-Pacific and Africa of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Kadir Jailani met in Xiamen, Fujian province to hold the 15th China-Indonesia Diplomatic Consultation.

On the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is stated that the meeting took place on Saturday (3/2). Nong Rong, in a statement accessed by Antara from Beijing, Sunday, said that President Xi Jinping met twice with President Joko Widodo last year, leading comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries to a new level and making progress in building a community that has a shared future becomes a real project.

President Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jingping met on 27-28 July 2023 in Chengdu, Sichuan province and on 17-18 October 2023 in Beijing at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) Summit.

Nong Rong added that both leaders had witnessed improved political and security cooperation mechanisms, more active people-to-people exchanges and dialogue, as well as closer coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

During the meeting, Nong Rong gave an introduction to the guiding principles of the Central Conference on Foreign-Related Work, and said that building a community of shared future for the people is the highest goal pursued by the Chinese government in conducting diplomacy as a major country with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

In 2024, China is ready to work with Indonesia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, advance the building of a Sino-Indonesian community with a shared future at high-level talks and set an example for developing countries.

Solidarity and cooperation for development were also discussed in order to provide more benefits for both nations and provide a strong impetus for prosperity and stability at regional and global levels.

Meanwhile, the ministry's Director General of Asia-Pacific and Africa Abdul Kadir Jailani, positively assessed the progress achieved in implementing the action plan to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to Abdul Kadir, Indonesia attaches great importance to relations with China, and is ready to work with that country to implement the mutual agreements and understandings reached between the two heads of state.

Indonesia also agreed to intensify high-level dialogue, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and encourage new and greater development in Indonesia and China's comprehensive strategic partnership. Indonesia, said Abdul Kadir, reaffirmed its commitment to the "one China" policy. Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual interest and concern, and agreed to deepen regional multilateral cooperation and safeguard common interests.

The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has prepared a travel map or travel pattern ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday for domestic and foreign tourists. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga explained that the Chinatown area, which is one of the popular tourist areas in every city in Indonesia, has unique characteristics and attracts the attention of many tourists. In the Chinatown area, the variety of Chinese culture is very strong, starting from gates, buildings, heritage, places of worship, accessories, to culinary delights.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy recommends Chinatown tourist areas, welcoming the Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh celebrations, including Glodok-Petak Sembilan, Jakarta, which has many historical and religious tourist sites such as the Toa Se Bio Temple and Jin De Yuan Temple, Petak Sembilan Market, Gang Gloria, and the Toa Pe Kong Carnival event. Then there is the Chinatown tourist destination in the Kauman area, Central Semarang, with the Cap Go Meh celebration tradition of a procession of the Sam Poo Kong statue from the Tay Kak Sie temple to Gedung Batu.

Another Chinatown tourist destination is in the Pasar Gede Solo area which is holding the Grebeg Sudiro attraction which takes place from January 28 to February 22 2024. Meanwhile in Sumatra there is the tourist destination Kemaro Island, Palembang, as one of the mainstay tourist attractions in Palembang City with its tradition of lion dance and Chinese wayang artsand other traditional arts. There is also a tourist destination included in the Karisma Nusantara Event, namely Cap Go Meh Singkawang, West Kalimantan, which is known as the city of a thousand monasteries/temples which will be held from 10 to 24 February 2024.

The Denpasar City Government, Bali and the British Government are exploring cooperation in the fields of tourism and information technology in a bid to further advance the local area. The exploration was carried out at a meeting between the Deputy British Ambassador to Indonesia Matthew Downing and the Regional Secretary of Denpasar City, Ida Bagus Alit Wiradana.

Alit Wiradana in Denpasar on Thursday (1/2) explained that increase in tourism and information technology must be balanced with improvement in the quality of human resources, such as language skills and also expertise in the field of information technology.

Besides discussing cooperation in the fields of tourism and information technology, after the meeting, Alit also discussed developing English language skills for the people of Denpasar City. In the discussion, there is possibility of sister-city cooperation between Denpasar City and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), a unitary authority area in the ceremonial region of Dorset, England.

Deputy British Ambassador to Indonesia, Matthew Downing said that the British Government has a high interest in developing various sectors in Denpasar City, including education, tourism, the environment and many others.

He added that the Bournemouth area has an educational institution that has advantages in information technology. He hopes this will help Denpasar City in developing the smart city sector. Matthew Downing also offered the possibility of collaboration to organize English language tests for the people of Denpasar City.

Through this test, besides being able to measure language skills, he said, it will also make it easier for job providers in Denpasar City to attract quality applicants.

In Indonesia, Tulungagung city is famous not only for its marble production, but also for having beautiful beaches. One of the beaches that is famous for its beauty is Popoh Beach which is precisely located on Jalan Raya Pantai Prigi, Besole Village, Besuki District, Tulungagung, East Java. This beach is a mainstay tourism spot in Tulungagung City. The Popoh Beach tourism attraction is only about 30 km from downtown of Tulungagung City, and only takes approximately 1 hour by motor vehicles.

If you are in Surabaya, East Java, and want to go to Popoh beach, you can choose two travel routes, namely via Mojokerto or Malang City. If you take the route via Mojokerto, you will pass through Surabaya to Kediri. Then from Kediri, you can immediately take the direction to Tulungagung. Meanwhile, if you take the Malang route from Surabaya, you will pass through Sidoarjo to Blitar. Then from Blitar, you can go directly to Tulungagung. The access road to Popoh Beach is a smooth paved road, but winding.

If you travel to Popoh Beach, please try the culinary delights on the beach. Around Popoh beach, there are many stalls that provide delicious seafood dishes, such as shrimp and crab dishes whose taste is guaranteed to make you addicted to. In most of the stalls around Popoh beach, the cooking process still uses traditional methods, such as cooking on a stove using charcoal and, of course, with typical cooking spices.

In addition on your way home from Popoh Beach, you will also pass through a district called ‘Campurdarat’. This district is the center of the largest marble craftsmen not only in East Java, but also across Indonesia. Here, you can also buy souvenirs in various interesting shapes, and all are made of marble. If you still want to stay longer at Popoh Beach, you can stay at a hotel or inn around Popoh Beach, Tulungagung.