TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko `Jokowi` Widodo had a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sideline of ASEAN Summit in Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore. During the 30-minute session, Jokowi focused the talk on economic partnership with Japan.
Indonesia and Japan had ties in the infrastructure sector which was progressing until date, such as MRT Jakarta. “The phase 1 of MRT will complete in March 2019. The groundbreaking of MRT Phase II will also commence around that time,” said Jokowi as noted in a press release issued by the Protocol, Press, and Media of Presidential Secretariat today, November 15.
Jokowi also expressed his worry on the Japanese policy concerning the certification of palm oil. He underlined Indonesia had applied ISPO certificate and hoped it would be accepted or developed.
The President then delivered hopes that Japan would provide flexibility during the negotiations of a comprehensive review of Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). He expected the negotiation would be soon completed.
In the future, Jokowi continued, Indonesia sees many partnership potentials with the Japanese government, including investment and development of the electric car and lithium battery, tourism development of 10 New Bali destinations, and maritime sector among others.
“I’d like to invite His Excellency [Shinzo Abe] to jointly support those issues by embodying the momentum and spirit of 60 years of our bilateral relations,” Jokowi remarked.
FRISKI RIANA