Suryanagara presented the idea to Chinese Ambassador Wang Lutong during a meeting at the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday.
“We plan to establish a sister-province partnership between a province in China and one in Indonesia, specifically North Maluku and South Papua,” he said.
He explained that the initiative would not only connect regions with similar characteristics but also those that complement each other economically and geographically.
To illustrate the concept, Suryanagara used durian cultivation as an example.
“China cannot grow durians, but through this partnership, China could provide capital and technology while Indonesia provides land. Indonesians can then grow the crops and develop a large-scale industry domestically,” he said.
Ambassador Wang welcomed the proposal, noting that China already maintains several successful sister-province and sister-city partnerships worldwide.
He said there was great potential in the initiative, adding that discussions had taken place regarding cooperation with North Maluku and South Papua.
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Wang emphasized that complementarity was key and stated that China was exploring further investment opportunities in Indonesia’s transmigration areas.
Suryanagara previously said his ministry aims to attract external funding rather than rely solely on state finances to develop transmigration regions.
He outlined a strategy to increase private-sector involvement through direct investment in transmigration zones and local economic development projects.
“The state budget will act as an initial stimulus to draw larger investors,” he said.
“Our goal is to transform the transmigration program into a driver of economic growth through public-private partnerships,” he added.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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