Indonesia has to redress trade with China: MPR chairman

"Indonesia and China are two big nations in their respective regions with potentials complementing each other. Therefore, the bilateral trade should be balanced ," Sidarto said.

Beijing (ANTARA News) - Chairman of the Indonesian People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Sidarto Danusubroto said Indonesia should seek to redress trade with China.

"Indonesia and China are two big nations in their respective regions with potentials complementing each other. Therefore, the bilateral trade should be balanced ," Sidarto told ANTARA here on Thursday night.

Indonesia has suffered growing deficit in trade with the world`s second largest economy notably after the implementation of the Asean China Free Trade Agreement in 2010.

Sidarto described relations between China and Indonesia being in "golden phase".

"China has become a world power both politically and economically," he said .

Indonesia should be able to gain more from the good relations especially as the two countries have agreed to strengthen strategic partnership more comprehensively, he added.

"We still need to work hard to create balance in relations with China both in politics, culture and economy," he said.

Indonesian Ambassador to China Imron Cotan said trade between the two countries was valued at US$66.6 billion in 2012 or a three fold increase since 2010.

"Chinese investment in Indonesia was worth US$2.02 billion cumulatively in 2012 based on Chinese statistic figures," Imron said.

Indonesia has set target that its trade with China would reach US$80 billion in 2015 - relatively small compared to Malaysian target of US$180 billion for trade with China in the same year.

Currently Malaysian-Chinese trade already reached around US$100 billion a year.

During his visit to Beijing, Sidarto met with and introduced himself as a new MPR chairman to chairman of China National People`s Congress (NPC) Zhang Dejiang and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee Yu Zhengsheng.

"I introduced myself as a new MPR chairman and at the same time sought to strengthen parliamentary relations between the two countries," he said.

He said he discussed political, cultural and economic relations between the two countries with the Chinese leaders.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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