China, Indonesia pledge to enhance cooperation

China and Indonesia vowed to further enhance bilateral relations and cooperation amid ongoing major changes in the world, as Premier Li Qiang met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Sunday.

Li, who arrived on Saturday for a three-day official visit to the Southeast Asian nation, told Prabowo during their talks that China hopes to work together with Indonesia to strengthen solidarity and collaboration and jointly address risks and challenges.

Noting that China and Indonesia are good neighbors and good partners, Li said the two countries have supported each other and stood by each other since the establishment of diplomatic relations 75 years ago, and their traditional friendship has become stronger than ever.

China stands ready to continue its friendship with Indonesia, consolidate cooperation on the "five pillars "of politics, economy, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, maritime affairs, and security, and to elevate political mutual trust and strategic coordination between the two countries to a higher level, he said.

China is willing to work with Indonesia to enhance the alignment of their development strategies and deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, especially by optimizing and strengthening landmark projects, Li said.

He encouraged the two countries to further enhance the "golden brand" of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and promote the construction of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project.

Li called for the two countries to strengthen connectivity of markets and coordination of industries, make bilateral trade and investment more convenient, and broaden cooperation in the fields of finance, new energy, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, among others.

China is willing to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Indonesia, facilitate cross-border travel, and deepen cooperation in the fields of food, agriculture, poverty reduction and health, in order to bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.

Noting that the rise of unilateralism and protectionism has had a serious impact on the international economic and trade order, Li said that China hopes to work with Indonesia and other developing nations to uphold multilateralism and free trade, and promote peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Indonesia diplomatic relations, as well as the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, which was held in the Indonesian city of Bandung in 1955 and brought together delegates from 29 Asian and African countries.

Prabowo said that Indonesia will take the anniversaries as an opportunity to deepen its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, advance the construction of the China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and promote peace and development in Asia and the world.

Indonesia has high regard for the progress made in bilateral cooperation and hopes to deepen cooperation in agriculture, finance, infrastructure and other fields, he said, adding that his country welcomes more Chinese investment.

Prabowo said that Indonesia is willing to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and looks forward to cooperating more closely with China under multilateral platforms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and BRICS.

After their meeting on Sunday, Li and Prabowo witnessed the signing of several bilateral cooperation documents.

On Saturday evening, they attended and addressed a reception that brought together about 200 representatives from the business community in China and Indonesia.

Calling on businesses in both countries to expand and strengthen cooperation, Li said that China will share growth opportunities with Indonesia and other countries, and will remain committed to opening up wider to the outside world.