BEIJING (AP) – Indonesia’s new leader called for collaboration with China after the signing of USD10 billion in new deals at a business forum yesterday in the Chinese capital before heading to the United States (US).
President Prabowo Subianto told the forum that his country wants to be part of China’s emergence as not only an economic but also a “civilisational power”.
“We must give an example that in this modern age, collaboration is the way for peace and prosperity,” he said.
Subianto wrapped up the first stop of his first overseas trip since taking office three weeks ago. He is headed next to Washington and then to Peru and Brazil for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits.
He and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on Saturday to deepen ties, elevating security to a fifth “pillar” of cooperation in addition to political, economic, maritime and people-to-people exchange. They agreed to hold a first-ever joint meeting of their foreign and defence ministers in 2025, a joint statement said.
Chinese companies have invested heavily in mining in Indonesia, as they have elsewhere in the world. China also helped build Indonesia’s first high-speed railway, a 142-kilometre route between Jakarta and Bandung that opened last year.
