Indonesia-China collaboration on poverty alleviation, adoption of industrialisation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Transmigration (Kementrans), is strengthening cooperation with China in efforts to alleviate poverty, by adopting best practices based on industrialisation and downstreaming that have been deemed successful in improving societal welfare. Transmigration Minister (Mentrans) Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, after meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong in Jakarta on Monday, stated that this strengthening of cooperation is an implementation of the President’s directive to accelerate poverty alleviation while opening up more job opportunities. According to Iftitah, his side has directly studied China’s success in managing transmigration programmes and poverty alleviation. One highlighted example is the relocation of millions of residents accompanied by the development of industrialisation and downstreaming infrastructure. “Thus, through industrialisation and downstreaming, more job opportunities are opened, poverty is eliminated, and the income levels of the community increase, even multiplying several times over,” he continued. He said that this model will be adapted in 154 transmigration areas in Indonesia, and in the near future, the government will also send an expert team to China to deepen the learning. “In the near future, the Chinese Government is inviting the Ministry of Transmigration to send experts, one consisting of Ministry of Transmigration employees, and the second from academics at 10 top universities in Indonesia,” he said. Those 10 top universities are Universitas Indonesia (UI), IPB University, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad), Universitas Diponegoro (Undip), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Airlangga (Unair), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS), and Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas).