"They seriously intend to invest in Indonesia after they had studied the good investment prospects in the country as reflected by consistent economic growth," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Twenty Spanish companies are ready to invest in Indonesia`s energy, electricity, transportation, telecommunications, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, a minister said.

"They seriously intend to invest in Indonesia after they had studied the good investment prospects in the country as reflected by consistent economic growth," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said after chairing a coordination meeting on a state enterprise rightsizing program here on Thursday.

The plan to invest in Indonesia surfaced when Spanish State Secretary of Foreign Trade Alfredo Bonet, along with a Spanish business delegation, held bilateral talks with officials of the Indonesian Trade Ministry a few days ago, he said.

To enhance bilateral cooperation, the Spanish government and businessmen wanted the two countries to revise a number of agreements in the investment sector to ensure that the strategic partnership could be implemented well, he said.

Data from the Trade Ministry show two-way trade between Indonesia and Spain reached US$2.18 billion in the January-November 2010 period, a 12.6 percent increase compared to US$1.94 billion in the same period the year before.

Indonesia recorded a surplus of US$1.62 billion in its trade with Spain in the January-November 2010 period, up 9.60 percent from the same period in the previous year when the figure was US$1.48 billion.

Last year Spain ranked 14th as the destination of Indonesia`s exports. Indonesia`s exports to Spain included copper ores and concentrates, coal, briquettes, palm oil, natural rubber, industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, video recording or reproducing apparatus.

Meanwhile, Indonesia imported aircraft (helicopters, aeroplanes), unwrought aluminium, new pneumatic tyres, transmission apparatus for radiotelephony, acyclis hydrocarbons, medicaments, and cigarette paper from Spain.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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