T

he sixth China Machinery and Electronic Products Exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Jakarta, from May 19 to May 21 to connect Chinese and Indonesian businesspeople in the sector.

More than 400 firms, set to occupy a total area of one hectare, will take part in the expo, hosted by China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products in cooperation with the provincial trade agency of Guangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and Shandong. The expo has set a target of attracting 10,000 visitors.

“The expo is expected to enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the governments and entrepreneurs of China and Indonesia,” said Zhang Jing, the chamber representative, during a press briefing in Jakarta on Friday.

Zhang added that transactions recored at the previous exhibitions had always been good and had encouraged more Chinese firms to join. The last exhibition involved 300 firms, she said, but did not provide the detailed figures of sales generated during the event. After the event, several Chinese firms stated interest in investing and opening factories in Indonesia, she said.

Out of the 400 participants, 100 firms are based in Guangxi province, which is located in the far south of China, along the country’s border with Vietnam, and is one of the fastest-growing provinces in China with a total GDP of RMB 95.02 billion (US$14.62 billion) last year.

At the China Guangxi Products Exhibition 2011, which focuses on machinery and electronics, the firms will display various products, including electronics, textiles, home appliances and chemicals. According to Guangxi trade agency representative Zhang Siqi, Indonesian firms have historically been important partners for firms in the province.

Last year, he said, Guangxi’s imports from Indonesia, which included coal, palm oil, industrial chemicals, mining outputs, and livestock products, were valued at $414 million. Guangxi’s exports to Indonesia, which covered phosphate acid, porcelain cutlery, vehicles and spare parts, chemicals, textile machines, electronics and electrical equipment, reached $84.22 million.

Investments, he said, also showed a positive trend, with seven Guangxi firms investing a total of $140 million in integrated farming, real-estate, mining and natural-based projects. Meanwhile, 24 Indonesian firms invested a total of $380 million in Guangxi, making them the 10th-largest foreign investors in the province.

Zhang said that a number of prominent firms from Guangxi would join the exhibition, including one of China’s largest car makers, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., traditional pharmaceutical producer Guangxi Yulin and Guangxi’s largest phosphate acid maker Guangxi Mingli Group Co.

China is currently Indonesia’s second-largest non-oil export destination and is also the biggest supplier of non-oil goods to Indonesia, which is Southeast Asia’s largest economy. However, the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the nation ran its largest international trade deficit with China — $5.6 billion — last year.

During a recent visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Vice President Boediono asked China to also promote direct investment in Indonesia, besides promoting trade, to ensure that the growing economic cooperation would benefit both countries.