Indonesia underrepresented at CAEXPO
The Jakarta Post, Nanning, Guangxi, China
Indonesia seemed ill-prepared for the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) if the number of participants was any measure. The country with the second largest population in the region after China registered just 26 participants.
They included the Argo Manunggal Group, M. Craft, PT Bumi Tangerang Mesindotama, the Dharma Bhakti Astra Foundation, Beverley Jewelry, Darma Jamu Godok, Matahari Putra Prima, Daya Technology, PT Indo Farma, PT Antar Niaga Nusantara, Mantha Tour and Istana Walet Wong Coco.
But not all of them made it to the main event as 10 booths in the Indonesia section were left vacant for the duration of the expo from Oct. 19 to Oct. 22.
Among Indonesia's neighboring countries, Malaysia recorded the highest number of participants with 163 exhibitors followed by Thailand (111), Vietnam (69), Cambodia (26) and Myanmar (23) out of nearly 2,000 exhibitors in total.
Singapore had, surprisingly, only two particpants in attendance. But as Indonesia's trade and industry minister Mari Pangestu said here, the number of participants was not necessarily a reflection of the seriousness of the country in taking part in the expo.
Big companies usually already have their own network in China, so they don't necessarily see the benefit of taking part in the expo, she said.
"But the participation of big companies at the expo does indicate the size of a country's economy," she told The Jakarta Post.
Mari said her ministry would see to it that more companies took part in the next expo, particularly small- and medium-size enterprises. The China-ASEAN Business Council has put the promotion of SMEs at the top of its agenda for next year.
As host, China displayed its cutting-edge technologies, products and solutions. Products ranged from machinery to electronics, from IT gadgets to automobiles.
Unlike last year, the expo was only open to the public on the last of the four days.
"This was to avoid overcrowding," said a member of the expo staff. On the first three days the expo was open to businesspeople, government officials and professionals.