Austrade to open its third Indonesian office in Medan
Austrade to open its third Indonesian office in Medan
JAKARTA (JP): The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) will
open its third Indonesian office Wednesday.
Bruce Wallace, Australia's Jakarta-based senior trade
commissioner, said yesterday that the new office, located in
Medan, would cover markets in Sumatra and adjacent islands.
The new office would help Australian businesses tap growing
business opportunities in Sumatra's provinces, he said.
Wallace said that Medan, with its strategic location in the
Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia growth triangle and its role as
the major business center in Sumatra, was a logical place for the
new operation.
"Located on the Malacca Straits, it represents an excellent
regional base for Australian business expansion," he said in a
statement.
Austrade's two other Indonesian offices are in Jakarta and
Surabaya.
Wallace sees major opportunities in Indonesia for Australian
businesses in construction, infrastructure, telecommunications,
agribusiness, financial services, mining, energy and
environmental services.
BHP, Australia's largest corporate entity, is currently
commissioning a plant in Medan for its building products
division. Several other major Australian companies have stated
their intention to expand in the region.
Medan is already a major center for Australian education
services, he said.
Austrade would operate in Medan in cooperation with the
Australian Center and the Asean Focus Group Pty Limited.
Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Australia grew by 20
percent in the 1996 to 1997 period to over A$5 billion.
Indonesia is Australia's 10th largest trading partner and will
soon be its biggest partner in the ASEAN region.
Export items from Australia demonstrating significant growth
in the last 12 months included live cattle, cotton, aluminum and
dairy products, Wallace said.
Significant growth in imports from Indonesia was seen in paper
products and petroleum.
Australian investment in Indonesia now totals US$3 billion.
(hen)