"China has been satisfied with bilateral cooperation over the last decade. They are keen to continue the cooperation, as they have reaped the benefits," Pandjaitan told ANTARA here on Wednesday (May 21).
The agency chief stated that during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the latter encouraged further progress in Indonesia-China economic cooperation.
According to Pandjaitan, the foreign minister "reminded him three times" to consider "what's next" in bilateral economic cooperation.
He noted that private investors from China were keen to invest in Indonesia's downstreaming projects, including in the carbon steel commodity, which is often used for housing development and can be produced domestically.
"We can produce the commodity to build three million homes for the people, and it will be mostly produced domestically," the agency chief stated, referring to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship housing program.
"We will provide facilities, such as a special economic zone where they can develop (their factory) there," he remarked, adding that domestic production supported by foreign investments will help Indonesia stop its carbon steel imports and "create added value to our products instead."
Pandjaitan visited Beijing to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday (May 21) and Deputy Secretary General of the CPPCC National Committee Zhang Maoyu on Thursday (May 22) to discuss advancing bilateral economic cooperation with China.
During the meeting with Chinese officials, the DEN chief stated that Indonesia offered two special economic zones—one in Subang, West Java, and the other in Kuala Tanjung, North Sumatra—for nickel downstreaming projects.
He added that another special economic zone in Bali also presents opportunities for investment in the technology sector, including artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the Investment Coordination Board (BKPM), Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) to Indonesia reached US$8.1 billion in 2024, making China the third-largest investor after Singapore and Hong Kong.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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