Xi vows stronger Indonesia ties
In phone talks with Widodo, president stresses high-quality cooperation on BRI, pandemic
President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo vowed on March 16 to strengthen high-quality cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, as well as coordination in the framework of the Group of 20, in order to promote bilateral ties.
In their second phone conversation this year, following earlier talks in January, Xi said the two countries have set the general direction for jointly building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and set up a model of solidarity and cooperation between major developing countries.
China stands ready to maintain close communication with Indonesia to push for new development of bilateral friendly cooperation and inject even greater stability and positive energy into regional and global development, Xi said.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and major global changes rarely seen in a century, the two countries have moved forward hand in hand and risen to challenges, established a new pattern of bilateral cooperation on the “four-wheel drive” of political, economic, cultural and maritime affairs, and carried forward the main theme of solidarity against the pandemic and common development, Xi said.
He stressed that the two sides should implement the consensus reached on issues such as deepening COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, and continue to strengthen cooperation in fighting the pandemic.
Both sides, Xi said, should ensure that the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway can start to operate on schedule, implement well key projects such as the regional comprehensive economic corridor and the “Two Countries, Twin Parks,” and jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, so as to help accelerate Indonesia’s development and bilateral cooperation.
As long as relevant projects are beneficial to the development of Indonesia and the countries’ cooperation, China will maintain a positive attitude about them, he said.
Xi underlined the need for both countries to uphold global market stability and ensure smooth operation of the supply chain, advance the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, firmly safeguard the open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture with ASEAN at the center and promote solidarity and cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results.
China supports Indonesia in playing its role as the president of the Group of 20, and focusing on the theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” so as to ensure the 2022 G20 Bali Summit a success, Xi added.
Widodo noted that bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two countries is growing rapidly, and said his nation is ready to work with China to complete the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway as scheduled for the benefit of the two countries.
Indonesia looks forward to carrying out tripartite cooperation with China to help build the new capital city of Indonesia, and hopes that China will continue to support Indonesia in building the regional comprehensive economic corridor and green industrial parks, he added.
Indonesia fully supports the Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi, which is conducive to the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Widodo said, stressing that Indonesia is ready to maintain close communication with China to push forward the implementation of the initiative and contribute to the common development of the world.
Indonesia is ready to maintain close communication and coordination with China to make sure that the G20 focuses its work on economic recovery and global development, and to work together to address pressing global issues, he said.
The two presidents also exchanged views on the Ukraine situation, agreeing that members of the international community should facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to avoid a massive humanitarian crisis and get the negative effects of sanctions on the world economy under control, in order to protect global economic recovery.