Queensland and RI: Long-term partners
Queensland and RI: Long-term partners
The state of Queensland in Australia enjoys a long-term
partnership with Indonesia that endures despite the rise and fall
of economic fortunes in our region.
Present economic difficulties have not dulled the appetite of
Queensland companies to seek out commercial opportunities in
Indonesia and explore joint-venture possibilities with Indonesian
companies.
Many Queensland businesspeople remain keen to meet prospective
Indonesian partners in a wide variety of sectors, such as mining
equipment and services, joint manufacturing of electrical
machinery and agribusiness.
Trade between Queensland and Indonesia continues to grow, with
two-way trade between the economies currently standing at US$750
million. Queensland, like Indonesia, has a highly diversified
domestic economy.
Queensland is a strategic supplier of technical expertise for
the exploitation of Indonesia's vast mineral resources and a
provider of training to improve the skills of Indonesia's
abundant human resources.
The commissioner of Queensland's trade and investment office
in Jakarta, Heath McMichael said: "Queensland's relationship with
Indonesia is certainly not a one-way street.
"We encourage Indonesian businesspeople to look closely at
investment opportunities in Queensland, especially in areas where
we have regional comparative advantage.
"The supply of live cattle, food processing and information
technology packages are just some examples."
The globalization of the Indonesian and Queensland economies
clearly offers challenges and benefits to both parties.
Planning and the clever application of available natural and
human resources through a network of like-minded partners, can
address the challenges.
Queensland and Indonesia are just such partners -- operating
at differing stages of development but with complimentary
programs of development and progress.
The opening of the Queensland Trade and Investment Office in
Jakarta and the Queensland Representative Office in Semarang in
June 1997 marked important steps forward in the Queensland-
Indonesia relationship.
The main priorities of Queensland's offices in Jakarta and
Semarang are to assist Queensland and Indonesian businesses to:
* identify commercial opportunities,
* find suitable business partners, and
* facilitate two-way investment.
The two offices are also intended to strengthen government-to-
government lines of communication, an important facet of ensuring
that the partnerships forged between Indonesian and Queensland
businesses work to advance both economies.