RI out to better business ties with Singapore: Report

RI out to better business ties with Singapore: Report

SINGAPORE (AP): Indonesia is promoting joint ventures with
small and medium-sized businesses in other Asian countries in
order to distribute economic resources more equitably, a
Singapore newspaper reported on Thursday.

Johan Syahberi, director general of Indonesia's foreign
economic relations, was quoted as saying a trade and investment
mission to Singapore within the next three months aims to promote
ties in the tourism and service industries.

In an interview with the Business Times, Syahberi is quoted as
saying that smaller companies can take part in development of the
Natuna gas field in the South China Sea by providing services
such as entertainment, housing and distribution of consumer goods
to the islands.

Indonesia's state oil and gas company, Pertamina, will be
finalizing Friday a S$13.5 billion (US$8 billion) agreement to
supply Singapore's Sembawang Gas starting in 2001, the daily
reported.

That 22-year deal is expected to bring opportunities for many
kinds of other businesses, Syahberi indicated in the interview.

"It is not enough to just have joint ventures between large
companies. We must also build bridges which allow small and
medium-sized companies to cooperate and form business alliances,"
he was quoted as saying.

The Indonesian government is also working on agreements that
would provide money for its workers to receive training in
skilled and semi-skilled work before they travel to other Asian
countries.

"We are working out a program whereby these countries can help
us retrain our workers before we send them out to them," Syahberi
said.