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.