MoU on China-Indonesia joint research laboratory of new energy materials signed

JAKARTA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese company and two universities from China and Indonesia on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on building a joint research laboratory of new energy materials and metallurgical engineering technology.

The three parties -- China's Central South University, GEM Co., Ltd., a leading green enterprise in China, and Bandung Institute of Technology -- agreed to carry out innovative research in the fields of sustainable development, key mineral resource development, new energy materials, resource recycling, and green technology, so as to help accelerate the electrification process of Indonesia, and promote cultural and technological exchanges between the two nations.

At the signing ceremony, GEM and Bandung Institute of Technology also signed a scholarship agreement, in which the company would support outstanding Indonesian students of the university to study in China and poor students to complete their studies.

Reini Wirahadikusumah, president of Bandung Institute of Technology, said at the ceremony that Indonesia is a country rich in mining resources, but lacks engineering technology and talents. The university and future students would benefit from the efforts of the three parties today.

Xu Kaihua, chairman of GEM, said the company has invested since 2019 to build a high-tech nickel industrial park in Indonesia, which helped Indonesia become one of the few countries able to produce new energy materials directly from lateritic nickel ore.

The park has created over 3,000 local jobs, cultivated local talents, and helped Indonesia's metallurgical engineering and new energy materials innovation technology reach the world's advanced level, Xu said.