RI mission to China to forge bilateral trade

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia-China Foundation for Economic, Social and Cultural Cooperation will send a delegation of 35 business executives and government officials to China to promote bilateral trade, chairman of the foundation said.

"We will be in China on Aug. 19 to Aug. 24 to hold a seminar on bilateral trade and investment, make business contacts and attend an annual meeting of the foundation and its Chinese counterpart," Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono, chairman of the foundation, told the press yesterday.

Sukamdani, the then chairman of the Indonesian chamber of commerce and industry, initiated direct bilateral trade with China in 1985 before Indonesia and China resumed diplomatic ties in 1990.

The two countries' diplomatic ties were frozen in 1967 after an abortive coup was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965.

"We have to keep the balance of our trade with China, whose exports to Indonesia have been increasing at a faster pace than its imports from it," he said.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Indonesia's exports to China increased by an average of 10.16 percent per annum in 1990-1994, while its imports from that country grew by 17.31 percent per year.

The two-way trade between Indonesia and China was recorded at US$1.48 billion in 1990 to $2.69 billion in 1994.

"To cope with the increasing imports from China, we should boost our exports of wood products, oil, natural gas and palm oil to China," said Sukamdani. "Our trade with China will be in deficit if we import more capital goods, while our exports to that country comprise mostly of agricultural produce."

He said Indonesia should also woo more Chinese tourists to the country.

He urged that the government ease entry permits for Chinese businessmen who want to come to Indonesia.

A source quoted figures from the Indonesian embassy in Beijing as saying that in 1994, the number of Indonesians visiting China reached 150,000, while the number of Chinese visiting Indonesia was only 10,000.

Sukamdani said that during the Chinese visit, his delegation will also take a group of entertainers consisting of disabled people.

He said that prior to the delegation's visit to China, Chinese Deputy Minister of Trade Li Guohua, will come to Indonesia to head a delegation of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and business executives.

China's Minister of Foreign Trade Wu Yi visited Indonesia last October. (kod)