Indonesia underrepresented at CAEXPO
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.