To Indonesia: From China, with love

To Indonesia: From China, with love

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ge Jianhua, general manager of Rizhao The East Industrial and
Trading Co., Ltd., has come from Shandong province in China to
offer his company's products to the Indonesian market. He
enthusiastically presents a range of agricultural products, such
as peanuts, chilies, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower and watermelon
seeds to potential Indonesian buyers.

Ge is one of the exhibitors participating in the Jakarta
International China Expo 2003 at Hall A of the Jakarta Fairground
in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, from Thursday to Sunday.

Johanna Sri Ambarwati, president director of Trinita Dynamics,
who is organizing the exhibition in conjunction with the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), told The
Jakarta Post on Friday that 3,000 visitors had already visited
the expo by its second day. "We expect at least 5,000 visitors by
the end of the expo," she said.

There are 180 exhibitors at the expo, with almost as many
businesses from both China and Indonesia participating. Johanna
said the Chinese exhibitors were from the three provinces of
Xinjiang, Dalian and Shandong.

"We plan to have such an exhibition twice a year. The next one
will be in September, with more Chinese exhibitors," she said,
mentioning the provinces of Beijing, Guangdong and Shenzhen as
future participants.

Liliani Tjandra from the Indonesia-China Business Council
(ICBC), established in June 2002, said that there were about 70
businessmen from China in Indonesia currently.

She was optimistic that Sino-Indonesian business relations
would improve quickly, and added that a Chinese government
official had urged its citizens to broaden their business
relations with Indonesia.

"I am optimistic that the Indonesian market still has
potential. The population is very large and demand is also very
high," said Ge.

He said that he planned to open a representative office soon
in Jakarta. "I expect that I can establish one here, at the
latest in May. It should be before October, because October is
harvest time and we have to get ready before that," he said.

Dwi Retno Hapsari from Swansarindo Mandiri Sentosa, an
Indonesian furniture and handicraft exporter, said that she was
willing to enter the Chinese market.

"We usually export to Spain and the U.S., and are now looking
to expand our market," she said. Her company makes furniture
using rattan, teakwood and water hyacinth, or eceng gondok.

Most exhibitors from China offer petroleum, agricultural and
automotive products. People can easily find made-in-China
bathroom appliances like bathtubs and wash sinks, and other
products such as motorcycles, automotive spare parts, canned
foods, and much, much more.

Most Indonesian exhibitors offer garments and Indonesian
traditional drinks, but visitors can also find other goods at the
expo, such as handicrafts, cooking appliances and dining sets.

The exhibitors from China mostly speak Mandarin and a little
English, and some had Indonesian-speaking promotion officers. Ge
seemed unfamiliar with Indonesia and the same might be expected
of other Chinese businessmen.

It should be the Indonesian government's responsibility to
familiarize businessmen in China with not only with how business
is conducted in Indonesia but also with local customs and
traditions.