TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo alias Jokowi departed for the Philippines this morning to meet his counterpart Rodrigo Duterte before joining the ASEAN Summit. The President will be staying in the country for three days.
The President will grab the opportunity to enhance bilateral relations and economic cooperation, particularly in the field of trade, the Presidential Secretariat spokesman Bey Machmudin stated in a press release today.
Tomorrow, Jokowi will attend the 30th ASEAN at the Philippine International Convention Center. The next day, Jokowi and President Duterte will be visiting Davao City to inaugurate roll-on roll-off services (Ro-Ro) between Davao, General Santos and Indonesia’s Bitung.
In the same day, Jokowi will fly to Hong Kong. “The President want to ensure that Indonesian citizens are protected by the Hong Kong authorities,” spokesman Bey said. There are currently 172,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong.
The President will also woo Hong Kong to step up bilateral economic relations. Being one of major investment hubs, Hong Kong invested US$2.25 billion in 2016, a 225 percent increase compared to 2015 at US$691 million.
President Jokowi’s entourage includes the First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Chief Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.
AMIRULLAH SUHADA
