President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Saturday.

The two heads of state mainly discussed the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries from "trade to digital economy", according to a statement from the presidential press bureau.

Jokowi hoped Indonesia and China could work together in reducing Jakarta’s trade deficit to Beijing, including by easing exports of tropical fruits.

“I also [ask] Your Excellency [Xi] to encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Indonesia, especially to Bali and the ‘10 new Balis’,” Jokowi said as quoted in the statement.

Jokowi and Xi also spoke about the export of palm oil and its products – including the B20 biofuel – as well as investments on research pertaining to "Industry 4.0".

The Indonesian president also expressed his appreciation of China’s disaster relief aid after earthquakes struck Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Palu in Central Sulawesi.

Jokowi also held his first ever bilateral meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela on Saturday, talking about cooperation in many sectors, ranging from maritime to palm oil development.

The annual gathering between 21 leaders of Asia-Pacific nations is held from Saturday to Sunday. This is the first gathering held in Papua New Guinea, which is also hosting its first international event of this scale. (evi)