Solo, C Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government aims to strengthen the manufacturing sector to boost the national economy, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution stated.

"We all know that after the Asian crisis in 1998-1999, our economy grew, albeit at a slow pace, owing to natural resources," he remarked at the opening of the national leadership meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) 2018 here on Tuesday.

The manufacturing industry is expected to serve as the engine of the country`s economic growth in future, he remarked.

To this end, the government is reviving the manufacturing sector as an engine of the Indonesian economy, he noted.

"The government started all by building infrastructure while at the same time providing social assistance," he stated.

While admitting that domestic infrastructure still fell short of expectations, he affirmed it had contributed significantly to the economy.

"What is interesting is the combination of infrastructure and social assistance that results in relatively good economic growth," he pointed out.

In addition, the government is developing national strategic tourist destinations, he stated, adding that new tourist destinations will be developed to bring foreign exchange earnings to the country.

The other step is creating special economic zones and industrial estates that have been started, he remarked.

"The industrial estates are important. Without the industrial estates, the industrial costs will be more expensive," he stated.

Since four to five months ago, the government has applied the so-called "online single submission" (OSS) as part of the efforts to streamline licensing procedures.

"Between mid-September and mid-November, the number of registrations through OSS reaches 1,320 per day," he added.

Reporting by Aris Wasita
Editing by Suharto

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018