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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang is travelling to Jakarta for the bilateral cooperation talks between China and Indonesia this week.
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Minister Qin will chair the fourth meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation from 21 to 23 February, at the invitation of Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Retno L P Marsudi.
Both parties are expected to discuss areas of trade and investment, infrastructure, maritime, health, connectivity, people-to-people contacts, regional and global issues of common concern.
The Chinese envoy will also visit President Joko Widodo, and Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat and Indonesia’s Coordinator for Cooperation with China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Minister Qin will also meet with Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn and the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN.
“This will be Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s first outbound visit after the Chinese New Year and his first visit to a neighbouring country after he took the post,” he said during a regular press conference on 20 February.
“In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two presidents, China–Indonesia relations have shown remarkable resilience and vitality. In particular, President Xi Jinping and President Joko Widodo reached the important common understanding on jointly building a China–Indonesia community with a shared future last year, which opened a new chapter in our bilateral relations.”
Last year, Indonesia's trade with China hit a new record of US$133.65 billion, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the same period, Chinese investment accounted for the second largest in Indonesia.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China–Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and 20th anniversary of China joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
“We hope Foreign Minister Qin’s upcoming visit will further boost the efforts to deliver on the important common understandings between the two presidents, consolidate bilateral and multilateral strategic cooperation, and result in more fruitful efforts to build a China–Indonesia community with a shared future,” Ministry Spokesperson Wang said.
“We look forward to working more closely with Indonesia and ASEAN to advance the building of a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, deepen the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, advance East Asia cooperation on the right course forward and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.”
