The Ministry of Culture to explore cooperation with Chinese delegation in various fields

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon is engaging in talks to broaden cooperation with the China Association for Economic Development in Asia (CAEDA) and the Global Digital Trade and Transaction Center (GDTTC). In Jakarta, officials confirmed that the discussions focus on enhancing Indonesia–China cultural cooperation across various sectors, including cinema, traditional medicine, and the development of technology-based creative industries. Minister Fadli Zon emphasised that Indonesia’s film industry is currently in a strong growth phase and open to international collaboration, including with China. The minister noted Indonesia’s significant potential in developing its film industry, from production and audience markets to infrastructure, which continues to develop. He also stressed that collaboration among industry players and filmmakers from both countries should be strengthened through co-production and production schemes. “The Indonesian film industry is developing very well. National film production now reaches more than 250 films per year with over 122 million viewers. The potential for cooperation with China is very large, including for joint production and national cinema infrastructure development,” he said. The minister also highlighted a high demand for cinema screens in Indonesia, with an estimated need for around 10,000 screens nationwide, while currently only about 2,500 screens are available, leaving ample room for investment and development in Indonesia’s film industry. He also expressed the hope that cinema technology being developed by China can be implemented domestically to modernise and keep pace with global cinema technology. The talks also opened the possibility of adapting popular Chinese dramas for production in Indonesia and for joint film productions by filmmakers from both countries. “We hope cultural exchanges between China and Indonesia can continue to grow through film, performances, and collaborations in the two countries’ creative industries,” said Li Yu. In addition to cinema, the Chinese delegation outlined plans for collaboration in traditional medicine. Pan Zhaojun, Deputy Director of Global ITC and General Manager of the Center for Medical and Health Industry, explained that the cooperation would include strengthening human resources, knowledge exchange, joint research, and the development of traditional medicine service centres in both countries. Fadli welcomed these ideas, noting that traditional medicine is an important part of Indonesia’s cultural promotion because it is closely linked to traditional knowledge of local communities, including jamu and the use of Nusantara biodiversity.