RI mission to China to forge bilateral trade

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)