China to give $3m aid to RI

China to give $3m aid to RI

BEIJING (Dow Jones): China will give Indonesia US$3 million in
emergency food and medical aid and is ready to provide export
credit to help the financially battered country, China's foreign
ministry announced yesterday.

"The Chinese government and people express their deep concern
and sympathy with the economic difficulties in Indonesia caused
by the Southeast Asian financial crisis," foreign ministry
spokesman Zhu Bangzao said in announcing the aid package.

The package expresses "the friendly sentiment of the Chinese
people toward the Indonesian people," Zhu added.

Zhu said China also pledged to continue to cultivate economic
ties with Indonesia despite the country's economic and social
turbulence.

"China attaches great importance to developing friendly
relations with Indonesia," Zhu said. China is willing "to
strengthen economic cooperation and trade with Indonesia through
export credit or barter", he added.

Calling newly reelected President Soeharto an "outstanding
leader", Zhu said that China was confident the country's economic
problems would be resolved.

"We believe under the leadership of President Soeharto and
through its own efforts, Indonesia will overcome its present
difficulties and bring its economy on the path of firm
development," Zhu said.

Last October, China contributed an undisclosed amount to a $43
billion International Monetary Fund-sponsored package for
Indonesia.

Last August, China contributed $1 billion to a $16.7 billion
IMF bailout package to Thailand.