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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a member of China'€™s State Council, Yang Jiechi, in Jakarta on Monday ahead of the bilateral visit of President Xi Jinping slated to be held in Jakarta early next month.

'€œThe upcoming bilateral meetings will be very important in strengthening and enhancing the two countries'€™ relationship. Our strategic partnership [which was established in 2005] will be upgraded to a comprehensive partnership,'€ said Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto after the meeting.

The minister said there were several drafts of agreement scheduled to be signed on the sidelines of Xi'€™s Jakarta visit. Among them were memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the sectors of investment, industry, minerals, space, fisheries, culture, education and youth.

'€œYang also suggested that some regional and global issues required discussion at the upcoming bilateral meeting, such as the conflict in Syria as well as issues surrounding the South China Sea,'€ Djoko told a press conference.

China and ASEAN regional grouping member countries Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines claim all or part of the island chains in the oil and gas-rich territory.

The Philippine government has even filed arbitration cases before the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has been playing a significant role in addressing the conflicts in Syria, which is now a global concern following the recent UN report confirming the use of deadly chemical weapons in the civil war.

Yang, the former Chinese foreign minister, and his delegation were slated to be in Indonesia for three days. He will have a series of meetings with top Indonesian officials, including attending the 4th Indonesia-China Dialogue on Political, Legal and Security Issues on Thursday.

Included in the Chinese delegation were Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin, Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Liu Jianchao.

On the Indonesian side were minister Djoko, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Agriculture Minister Suswono, and presidential spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah.

Djoko added the Chinese official also expressed hope that Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Li Keqiang could meet on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Brunei Darussalam, also in early October.

Yang had also confirmed that Xi would attend the upcoming APEC Summit in Bali, Djoko said.

Indonesia and China, both G20 members and among the world'€™s largest economies, have enjoyed flourishing relations, particularly after the signing of a strategic partnership accord in 2005.

Two-way trade in 2012 reached US$66.6 billion, increasing from $26.6 billion in 2009, according to the Indonesian government.

China is currently Indonesia'€™s largest trade partner and trade value could reach $80 billion in 2015.

The value of Chinese investments in Indonesia was recorded at S$2.2 billion in 2012.

In November last year, Yudhoyono met with then Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.

A month earlier, the President also met with his then Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at the APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Russia.

Yudhoyono'€™s last state visit to China was in March last year, where he also had bilateral talks with both Hu and Wen.