Indonesia and China to forge strategic partnership

Indonesia and China to forge strategic partnership

Zakki P. Hakim and Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia and China will forge a strategic partnership in a bid
to boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade,
investment, infrastructure, and agricultural, Minister of Foreign
Affairs said on Wednesday.

The presidents of the two countries will sign a declaration of
partnership on April 25, a day after the commemoration of the
golden jubilee of the Asia-Africa Conference attended by Chinese
President Hu Jintao.

"Indonesia has agreed to establish a strategic partnership
with China. A declaration will be signed by the presidents of
Indonesia and China in this regard," Hassan told reporters at a
joint press conference with the chairman of Chamber of Commerce
of Industry (Kadin).

President Hu will attend the Asian-African Summit to be held
in Jakarta from April 22 to April 23 bringing with him a 135-
strong delegation.

Hu is also slated to address the international business summit
organized by Kadin in Jakarta. Some 30 Chinese CEOs from several
companies are expected to attend the business summit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Hu first discussed the
strategic partnership issue during their meeting on the sidelines
of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in
Santiago, Chile last year.

"The signing of the declaration is a follow up to the meeting
of the two leaders in the APEC forum in Santiago," said Hassan.

To make such a partnership work well, Hassan urged Indonesian
business people to utilize the rapid growth of the Chinese
economy.

"The opportunities for partnership will be depend on
Indonesian readiness to utilize Chinese economic growth," he
said.

The two countries' bilateral trade has been on the rise in the
recent years.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) showed that Indonesia's
non-oil and gas exports to China stood at $531.4 million during
the period of January to February 2005, a significant rise
compared to $437.4 million in the same period last year.

Asked about the newly established bilateral cooperation
agreement between China and India, Hassan said that the better
economic performance of the two countries would provide a
positive contribution to Indonesia.

"We welcome the cooperation (between China and India) because
it is expected that the economies of these two countries will
improve and in turn, this will open opportunities for Indonesia,"
he said.

China and India agreed to boost their bilateral trade from $7
billion to $20 billion by 2008.

In a clear sign that they wished to put an end to decades of
bitterness, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao issued an historic joint statement on
Monday.