Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the United States will step up cooperation in improving the investment climate in renewable energy like what has already been stated in the dialogue between the two countries.

"We wish to improve the investment climate in the two countries to invite the private sector and seek new opportunities," economic coordinating deputy minister for economic cooperation and international financing Rizal Affandi Lukman said after meeting a delegation of US businessmen in Jakarta said on Wednesday.

For that purpose the government will increase and improve the Indonesian investment climate which according to a report on business facilities of the World Bank has dropped from the 126th to 129th settle.

"In the investment climate symposium in Bali yesterday we have invited Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Hong Kong whose business facilities had already been raised significantly in the last five year," he said.

In addition, Rizal said, the two countries will also increase cooperation in clean and renewable energy to meet the needs of the environmentally friendly green industry.

"We propose the US to assist in realizing the green industry road map towards meeting an environmentally friendly industry, and we are now realizing the stages of its formulations," he said.

US assistant minister of trade for market access and adherence Michael C. Camunez hoped Indonesia`s business facility rate could be raised to enable to accommodate foreign investors and boost economic growth.

"We encouraged and supported the progress of the Indonesian government in commercial dialogues in economic growth," he said.

Michael also hoped the US to provide assistance by way of strategic partnership in renewable energy especially in energy supplies for several projects in the Indonesian economic development acceleration and expansion master plan (MP3I).

"We are also focusing on creating energy partnership and efficiency based on energy supply to support the projects in the Indonesian master plant," he said.

Earlier on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Hawaii, Indonesia and the US have launched a commercial dialog to facilitate information exchanges and boost periodic bilateral discussions on trade issues, including improving the business climate in each country, and wider trade and investment.

The dialog partners are government institutions in the two countries, private trade council representatives like the US industrial sector and the US-ASEAN business council, Indonesian trade council and Indonesian business association and representatives of the companies taking part in the seminar.

The six focuses under the cooperation are investment climate, clean energy and environment, small and medium businesses, bilateral trade expansion, private business, and industrial cooperation.
(Uu.H-NG/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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