Susilo to visit China next week
Susilo to visit China next week
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono plans to make a four-day state visit to China next week to discuss bilateral trade and investment cooperation.
Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said on Friday that Susilo would leave for Beijing on July 27 but had decided to suspend planned visits to Thailand and Brunei.
Initially, the President was scheduled to visit China, Brunei and Thailand from July 13 to July 20, but the plans were canceled after the recent fuel crisis hit.
Dino was earlier quoted by Antara saying the visit to China had been arranged by Indonesian and Chinese officials in the past few weeks. Dino said Susilo had to cancel his visits to Brunei and Thailand because there was not enough time for him to visit at this stage.
The President is to depart from Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusumah Air Base at about 7 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Beijing nine hours later.
Upon his arrival, Susilo will first hold a meeting with the Indonesian community living in China.
On the second day, the President will meet China's National People's Congress chief Wu Bang Guo and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiao Bao for talks.
Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to receive Susilo on the same day for bilateral talks, after which the two leaders will witness the signing of several memorandums of understanding on trade and investment.
That night, Hu is to hold a state dinner in Susilo's honor.
On the third day of the visit, Susilo planned a series of meetings with Chinese businesspeople. "This is a standard format for the President when making an overseas visit," Dino said.
The President would later attend a business lunch together with members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and their Chinese counterparts.
On the fourth day, Susilo would visit Shenzhen, one of the Chinese cities with the fastest economic growth, where he is to meet the mayor and the secretary of the local communist party.
The President also plans to visit a hospital there and technology company Huawei Technologies on the final day of the visit, before flying home to Jakarta.
Hu Jintao made a visit to Indonesia last April for the Asia Africa Commemorative Summit and officials from the two countries signed an agreement to enhance bilateral trade worth between Rp 14 billion and $20 billion annually.
China also offered assistance to Indonesia in the form of $300 million of preferential buyer credits, and $1.5 million in loans and equipment to help rebuild tsunami-ravaged Aceh.