President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Wang Yi at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday, 18 April 2024.
In the meeting, President Jokowi and Minister Wang Yi discussed a number of important issues related to bilateral economic cooperation and the situation in the Middle East.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in her statement after the meeting said that President Jokowi conveyed three important messages, one of which was related to economic cooperation between the two countries. President Jokowi underlined a more balanced increase in trade volume between Indonesia and China and expected the opening of market access for Indonesian products to China, including the completion of protocols for the import of Indonesian agricultural and fishery products.
“In the field of economic cooperation, the President encouraged development cooperation in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN), including for transportation modes. The President also encouraged the implementation of strategic projects in the Kaltara industrial area, especially for investment in petrochemicals,” Retno said.
In addition, President Jokowi and Minister Wang Yi also discussed food security. According to the President, agricultural cooperation between the two countries is important to be improved, including studying China’s agricultural modelling.
“The last thing conveyed by the President is related to the situation in the Middle East. The President emphasized that no party wants to see an escalation and the President said that Indonesia continues to maintain diplomatic communication with various parties including Iran and the United States,” Retno said.
On the Iran-Israel conflict, President Jokowi emphasized three things, namely the importance of exercising restraint, the importance of de-escalation, and the need for countries to use their influence to avoid conflict escalation.
Retno said that Indonesia and China have the same position on the issue.
“Mr President also expressed his belief that China will also exert its influence to prevent escalation,” she said.
Meanwhile, China also emphasized its support for Palestinian independence through a two-state solution mechanism. In addition, Indonesia and China also have the same position in supporting Palestine’s full membership in the UN.
“There was also an exchange of views on the support of the majority of UN member states for Palestine’s full membership in the UN. In this case, once again Indonesia’s position and China’s position are the same that we fully support Palestine’s membership in the UN,” Retno said.
