China
2023.02.22 23:41 GMT+8

China, Indonesia vow to safeguard regional peace, stability

Updated 2023.02.23 14:30 GMT+8
CGTN

Indonesian President Joko Widodo(R) meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 22, 2023. /MOFA

Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Jakarta on Wednesday, as both sides promised to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

Qin expressed China's willingness to work with Indonesia, guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in Bali, to adhere to high-level guidance, strategic alignment and collaboration as major countries and seek joint development in the pursuit of modernization.

He said both sides should do their utmost to ensure the scheduled completion of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and create more flagship projects of the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is willing to further expand the import of commodities and quality agricultural and aquaculture products from Indonesia and encourage Chinese enterprises to participate in major infrastructure projects in Indonesia, he said.

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 said.

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 of ASEAN centrality and solving the Myanmar issue in "the ASEAN way."

For his part, Widodo said he expects both sides to speed up the implementation of the consensus reached by the two heads of state in Bali and prepare for the next phase of high-level exchanges.

In recent years, cooperation between China and Indonesia has yielded fruitful results, with rapid growth in bilateral trade and investment. China has become the second-largest source of foreign investment in Indonesia, he said.

He urged the two sides to speed up the construction of major projects, including the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the North Kalimantan Industrial Park and Indonesia's new capital, and expand cooperation in industrial chain and new energy.

Noting that Asia is the center of global economic growth, he said the region should not become a stage for a power struggle.

He expressed Indonesia's willingness to work with China to maintain regional peace and stability and help post-pandemic recovery.

Indonesia appreciates China's support for ASEAN's centrality and will handle the Myanmar issue based on the five-point consensus, said Widodo.

During Qin's visit, he 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 separately 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.

(With input from Xinhua)

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