‘Concrete
Partnership’: President Joko Widodo meets with China’s leaders in Beijing to
strengthen the ‘comprehensive, strategic’ ties between the two countries
Jakarta Globe, Robertus Wardhi & Primus Dorimulu, Nov 10, 2014
Beijing. President Xi Jinping hailed Indonesia as being “close to the heart” of China as he received President Joko Widodo on Sunday.
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| Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second from right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2014. (Reuters Photo/Jason Lee) |
Beijing. President Xi Jinping hailed Indonesia as being “close to the heart” of China as he received President Joko Widodo on Sunday.
Xi is the
first foreign leader to meet with his newly inaugurated counterpart during what
is Joko’s first official overseas trip as Indonesia’s president.
“We have a
proverb that says: ‘Out of sight, close to the heart,’ ” Xi said in Mandarin
during the bilateral meeting with Joko in Beijing on Sunday morning. “Although
our two nations are separated by a vast ocean, the huge waves have not deterred
us from interacting since the era of Admiral Cheng Ho’s voyage [in the 15th
century] and the Asia-Africa Conference [in 1955].
“The two
countries have developed a deep friendship, with mutual respect, as neighbors
and old friends.”
Xi added he
believed the Chinese-Indonesian “comprehensive, strategic partnership,” signed
last year by Xi and former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during
the former’s visit to Jakarta, would continue to develop.
“Ours has
become one of the most dynamic and influential bilateral relationships in the Asia-Pacific
region,” Xi said.
“I believe
under President Jokowi’s leadership, Indonesia will continue to advance,
including in terms of development and international relations,” he added,
referring to the Indonesian president by his popular nickname.
Joko,
meanwhile, said he wanted the strategic partnership to take “more concrete”
forms, so as to benefit the people of both nations.
“The
relationship between Indonesia and China has existed for hundreds of years; we
will continue to build our comprehensive, strategic partnership on that,” he
said.
Joko was
accompanied by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Sofyan Djalil, Foreign
Minister Retno Marsudi, Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel and Cabinet Secretary Andi
Widjajanto during his 30-minute meeting
with Xi.
He then
engaged in a separate bilateral discussion with Chinese Prime Minister Li
Keqiang.
Joko is in
Beijing to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting
today and on Tuesday.
Indonesia’s
first female chief of the the Foreign Affairs Ministry explained in a press
statement released on Sunday that Joko had used the meeting with Xi to
underline opportunities for collaboration in infrastructure projects across
Indonesia, as well as the archipelago’s intention to become a member of the
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in the near future.
“The two
leaders also highlighted Indonesia’s maritime agenda, including the proposal of
making China’s maritime Silk Road a new focus in partnerships that will benefit
the two nations,” Retno said in the statement.
Joko also
offered Xi his personal invitation to visit Indonesia next year for the
commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference’s 60th anniversary, and to mark the
65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and China.
With
regards to the president’s meeting with
Li, Retno said the two leaders agreed, among other things, on the need for a
regular economic forum involving the Indonesian chief economic minister and the
Chinese deputy prime minister.
These
meetings will be aimed at pushing “for concrete partnerships that will benefit
each other, in the fields of economy, trade, investment and development,” the
statement read.
 |
| Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the opening of the APEC CEO Summit at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2014. (EPA Photo/Wang Zhao/Pool) |
Prior to
the meeting with Xi, Joko addressed a business forum of 150 Indonesian and 200
Chinese executives, telling the audience he plans to improve Indonesia’s
“one-door solution” for processing business permits within the next six months in
order to spur investment.
“If you
encounter any problems in [obtaining] your investment license, call the
[cabinet] ministers. If they don’t respond to you, please call me,” Joko said.
“I’ve
recently pushed for permits to be completed in two weeks. With our one-door
service solution, we hope the process [of obtaining a permit] will only take a
few days,” he added.
Joko
conceded Indonesia’s lax infrastructure development has been a hindrance to
investment, citing difficulties in acquiring land as one of the major reasons
for setbacks in the sector.
Citing the
success story behind the construction of a seven-kilometer section of a highway
connecting Jakarta with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the outskirts
of Tangerang, the president added he plans to approach the issue head-on, yet
diplomatically.
The
infrastructure project was stalled for seven years before resuming under Joko’s
leadership during his term as Jakarta governor.
“I dined
with the owners of the plots of land [required for the project] four times;
there were 143 families,” Joko said.
“Using
diplomacy, we were finally able to complete construction of the remaining
seven-kilometer stretch of highway. It began operating six months ago.”
Sunday’s
forum saw the signing of 12 business partnerships involving business from both
countries, including Indonesia’s Adaro Energy and China’s Shenhua Overseas
Development & Investment.
Joko
visited the city of Tianjin, a 30-minute train ride from Beijing, on Sunday
afternoon to tour its international container port, which connects the city to
some 600 trading posts across the globe.
The brief
visit concluded with a tour of one of China’s largest seawater desalination
facilities.
Global
summit
Joko has
also been scheduled to engage in bilateral talks with US President Barack
Obama, Japanese President Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Joko’s
itinerary includes attending the APEC CEO Summit this morning, during which he
will meet top business executives from the region.
A spokesman
for Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, Michael Tene, said the Indonesian president
would be pursuing “three agendas” during the international summit, including a
plan to boost connectivity between APEC member states.
“Secondly,
the president will bring up maritime issues; Indonesia will push for the
maritime sector to be included in main
APEC talks on cooperation across various sectors,” Michael was quoted as
saying by news portal Kompas.com.
“The third
is product development, particularly those that will benefit the Indonesian
people,” he added, without elaborating further on the topic.
Joko will
also discuss Indonesia’s economic prospects under his leadership during his
scheduled speech in front of APEC leaders, Tene added.
Following
the summit, Joko is scheduled to depart for Naypyidaw, Myanmar, for a series of
meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member states,
including the Asean Summit and the Asean+3 Summit.
The Asean+3
Summit will also be attended by leaders of the association’s three main
partners: China, Japan and South Korea.
The former
Jakarta governor will then take part in a series of discussions involving both
leaders of the Asean states and the world’s economic power players, including
Obama, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, as well as the United Nations’
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Joko is
scheduled to stay in Myanmar until Thursday night, after which he will leave for Brisbane, Australia, to attend the
Group of 20 Leaders Meeting from Saturday through Sunday. There, he will also
meet with Indonesian citizens who have made the city their temporary home.
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