Czechs seek more trade opportunities in RI

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A trade mission from the Czech Republic has been visiting a number of cities in Indonesia in a bid to explore more trade opportunities between the two countries.

"We see Asia as a dynamic business partner and market, and Indonesia plays an important role in it," Miroslav Somos from the Czech's Ministry of Industry and Trade told reporters following a meeting on Tuesday with the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

He said that the Czech Republic was offering its technology in several sectors to Indonesia.

"We are well aware of Indonesia's power supply problem, and therefore, we would like to offer ... Czech companies that have the technology and capacity to establish small and large hydroelectric plants here," he said.

He added that the former communist country has been actively looking for greater trade opportunities with other countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"During the Soviet Union era, 40 percent of our trade activities had been conducted with them. However the situation is much better now and we are ready for the change," he said.

According to a data issued by the Central Board of Statistics (BPS), Indonesia recorded a total amount of about US$16.6 million in export to the Czech Republic last year, mostly in footwear and electronic goods.

Indonesia's import value from the country in the same period was around $9 million, with dairy products the most popular.

Meanwhile, Kadin Chairman Aburizal Bakrie applauded the Czech government's $10 million tax holiday facility to attract investors.

He said that the Indonesian government should do the same in a bid to curb the rapid downward spiral of foreign investment here.