TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - During the State Visit of Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang to Indonesia, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that the trade barrier from Indonesia to China must be removed as both countries attempted to strengthen their partnership.

Minister Retno and Minister Qin led the 4th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting between Indonesia and China on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The event was last held back in 2018.

"I specifically delivered a request that various trade barriers can be removed," Retno said in a press release

Minister Retno said that streamlining the trade process between China and Indonesia covers several aspects, such as exporter licensing in Indonesia; the finalization of a new protocol on the export of tropical fruits; and the export of Indonesian fisheries products.

According to Retno, China is Indonesia's largest trade partner. In 2022, the total amount of bilateral trade between the two countries reached a new record of USD 133.65 billion, which equals to Rp2 quadrillion.

Meanwhile, in the investment sector, China is the second largest investor in Indonesia. In the fourth quarter of 2022, China even went to become the largest investor in Indonesia.

"Indonesia will continue to improve its investment climate, by continuing to consider the public interest," Retno explained.

Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang welcomed efforts to strengthen the partnership between both countries initiated on November 2022 when Indonesia and China agreed on an action plan on the strengthening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Indonesia, which has been ongoing for 10 years.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo in Google News