China, Indonesia vow to safeguard regional peace, stability

Indonesian President Joko Widodo meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb. 22, 2023. (Presidential Press Bureau/Handout via Xinhua)

JAKARTA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang here on Wednesday, as both sides promised to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

Widodo, during the meeting, wished a successful outcome of the upcoming sessions of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

He expected both sides to step up the implementation of the consensus reached at the Bali meeting between the two heads of state and duly prepare for the next phase of high-level exchanges.

The Indonesian president said Indonesia and China have seen fruitful practical cooperation in recent years, with bilateral trade and investment growing rapidly and China becoming the second largest source of foreign investment in Indonesia.

He said the two sides should speed up key projects including the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the North Kalimantan Industrial Park and the construction of the new capital, and expand cooperation in industrial chains and new energy.

Widodo said Asia is the center of global economic growth and should not be an arena of power struggle.

Indonesia is willing to work with China to maintain regional peace and stability, and to facilitate the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, Widodo said.

He said Indonesia appreciates China's support for ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality and will address the Myanmar issue in line with the five-point consensus.

For his part, Qin said the Chinese side is willing to work with the Indonesian side under the guidance of the important consensus reached between the two leaders, adhere to high-level guidance, strategic alignment and collaboration as major countries, and seek joint development in the pursuit of modernization.

The two sides should make every effort to ensure the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway to be completed and opened to traffic as scheduled, and create more flagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said the Chinese foreign minister.

Qin said China is willing to import more bulk commodities and quality agricultural and fishery products from Indonesia, and encourage outstanding Chinese enterprises to participate in Indonesia's major infrastructure projects.

Changes unseen in a century have seriously affected the Asia-Pacific region. Situations of great complexity call for stronger unity and cooperation between China and ASEAN to safeguard regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, he noted.

The Chinese side fully supports Indonesia playing its role as the ASEAN rotating chair to lead and push the construction of the ASEAN Community with a shared future and East Asia cooperation to reap greater fruits, Qin said, adding that the Chinese side will continue its support for ASEAN centrality and solving the Myanmar issue in "the ASEAN way".

During his visit, Qin and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi jointly chaired the fourth meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between the two countries.

He also met with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn separately.