Australia targets RI in $7.2m campaign
Australia targets RI in $7.2m campaign
JAKARTA (JP): Australia is targeting Indonesia, along with South Korea, Thailand and the Shanghai region of China, in its multimillion-dollar campaign to draw more attention to its technological capacity.
When launching the "Inventive Australia" campaign here yesterday, visiting Australian Trade Minister Senator Bob McMullan said many Indonesian officials remain hazy about Australia's strength in technology and services.
The 15-month campaign, which was launched in Australia last month with a total budget of A$10 million (US$7.2 million), will focus on pushing 10 sectors: telecommunications, aerospace, environment, marine, medical, education, food technology, energy, information technology and financial services.
"We aim to present Australia as a country well-placed to supply Indonesia's demands for hi-tech goods and services by featuring these examples of our inventiveness," McMullan explained.
He said that Australian companies occasionally miss out on bids for hi-tech projects in Indonesia because not everybody in this country is aware of their technological skills.
At the moment, he said, if Indonesians look for high-tech products and services, they turn to the United States, Japan or Germany.
"Now add us to the list, and then choose the best products in each particular case," McMullan said.
Nevertheless, he said, Indonesia has developed a better appreciation of Australia's technological capacity compared to other countries in the region due to a closer economic relationship.
He said its other Asian neighbors were also unaware of Australia's fundamental economic transformation, which has involved deregulation, internationalization and the opening-up of its economy.
"Some of our main markets still don't appreciate that manufactures now make up almost a third of our total exports. They don't know that services now account for nearly three quarters of our gross national product and almost a quarter of our total exports," McMullan said.
Meetings
McMullan held a meeting yesterday with his Indonesian counterpart, Minister of Trade Satrio B. Joedono. He also plans to meet with Coordinating Minister of Trade and Industry Hartarto and State Minister of Investment Sanyoto Sastrowardoyo.
McMullan said that during his meetings with Indonesian decision-makers, he would talk about opportunities for Australian investment in infrastructures such as airports and sea ports in addition to steel and motor vehicle manufacturing.
Today, he is scheduled to attend a three-day meeting between Indonesian and Australian business people in Semarang, Central Java.
According to 1993 data, Australia held only a 4.9 percent share of Indonesia's merchandise imports of US$28.3 billion. In services, Australia's market share was only 4.1 percent of Indonesia's total imports in services of US$8.9 billion. (rid)