Wed, 05 Nov 1997

Australia sends large mission to mining expo

JAKARTA (JP): More than 100 Australian companies will take part in the Indonesian Mining '97 exhibition at the Kemayoran Fairgrounds, Central Jakarta, making the country the largest foreign participant at the exhibition.

The senior trade commissioner at the Australian Embassy, Bruce Wallace, said yesterday the exhibition would include 1,200 companies from 25 countries with 106 companies from Australia, including 95 mining-related companies and 11 power-related firms.

The exhibition will be opened this morning and will last until Nov. 8.

Other participating countries are the United States, Germany, South Africa, Canada, Britain and Italy.

Wallace said the presence of a large number of Australian mining-related companies at the exhibition underlined the interest and commitment of the Australian mining industry in deepening its relationship with Indonesia.

"As far as mining is concerned, Australia sees Indonesia as the most important partner in the world," Wallace said at a press conference.

He said the 95 companies were seeking business opportunities in Indonesian mining, including prospects of a joint venture, selling mining equipment and services.

The embassy's trade commissioner, Jennie Lloyd, noted that Australian companies were among the biggest foreign investors in Indonesian mining.

Australian companies operating in Indonesia include Rio Tinto Ltd, which has a stake in coal-mining company PT Kaltim Prima Coal in East Kalimantan, and gold mining companies PT Kelian Equatorial Mining in East Kalimantan and PT Indo Muro Kencana in Central Kalimantan.

She said investment in Indonesian mining accounted for about one-third of total Australian investment worth US$6.3 billion as of March.

Australia has only sent 11 power-related companies to the exhibition, but Lloyd was optimistic that the companies would find business opportunities there.

"Australian companies' expertise in the electricity field is already well-known in Indonesia and throughout Asia," she said. (jsk)