Ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 14-15, which Indonesian President Joko Widodo is expected to attend, CGTN's Aixinjueluo Bei spoke to the country's consul general in Shanghai to learn more about how the initiative can enhance infrastructure and e-commerce cooperation between the two countries.

After two years of negotiations, China confirmed in April that it will build Indonesia's first high-speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung. The project is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. It is also the first time China has allowed a state-owned company, China Railway, to fully immerse itself in an overseas project, including design and construction.

The railway is expected to be finished in 2019 and will shorten the traveling time between the two cities from more than three hours to 40 minutes.

“Economically, it will really boost growth between Bandung and Jakarta. And along this railway road it's expected to have four or five special (economic) zones so you can imagine the rapid development of the economy between these two cities,” said Indonesia's consul general in Shanghai, Siti Nugraha Mauludiah.

China was Indonesia's ninth largest overseas investor in 2015, but today it is third after Singapore and Malaysia. While infrastructure building is sure to be a major subject going forward, Indonesia is also seeking cooperation with China in other industries, such as e-commerce.

“Look at China now, the small, medium enterprises are thriving because of e-commerce. And one thing from e-commerce that we have to learn is not only information technology but also how China develops the logistics industry, the distribution industry,” noted Mauludiah.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce in China succeeded in bringing more than 100 Chinese investors to Indonesia in just 18 months with most of the projects involving infrastructure. But e-commerce is the next step, says the chamber's chairman.

To further develop infrastructure and e-commerce between China and Indonesia, the first Indonesia Week will be held on May 20-26 in Shanghai, with an Indonesia Infrastructure Investment Forum and an Indonesia Financial Sector Seminar.