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View all search resultsNew China FM’s visit gives time to reflect
Qin Gang makes Jakarta first leg of Asian tour.
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C
hina’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday at the invitation of his Indonesian counterpart Retno LP Marsudi, with the task of cochairing the 4th meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) between China and Indonesia among his top priorities.
Qin’s Indonesia stopover, his first state visit in the region since his inauguration in January, came as layered bilateral and regional challenges loomed over Beijing’s diplomatic landscape.
He is scheduled to meet with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday, and the Foreign Ministry said in a Tuesday press release that the talks would follow up on topics raised during the Group of 20 Summit in Bali last year, where Jakarta and Beijing agreed to strengthen their existing partnerships.
“The meeting will focus on joint efforts to strengthen the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including in the fields of trade and investment, infrastructure, maritime affairs, health, connectivity and people exchanges,” the ministry stated, noting that the JCBC meeting would coincide with the 10th anniversary of the nations’ bilateral comprehensive partnership.
First agreed upon in 2013, the Indonesia-China Comprehensive Partnership aims to boost cooperation in the economy, trade, fisheries, space and tourism. Numerous agreements have since come into force, including several memorandums of understanding and the latest 2022-2026 five-year action plan.
In Jakarta, Qin is also scheduled to visit the ASEAN Secretariat and meet with some of Indonesia’s top officials, including Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
In late 2022, following China’s relaxation of COVID-19 curbs, Indonesian officials and business executives expressed confidence that bilateral trade and investment would increase between the two countries, with demand for commodities like coal, processed nickel, iron and crude palm oil (CPO) expected to rise.
