Chinese premier arrives in Indonesia for official visit

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 6, 2018, for an official visit to the country. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Jakarta Sunday for an official visit to Indonesia, the first stop on his first overseas trip since the new cabinet took office in March.

Li's visit comes as this year marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and the 15th anniversary of the strategic partnership between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Li was welcomed by Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and other senior officials at the airport.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Indonesia in 2013, the two countries have been promoting the synergy of their development strategies, yielding fruitful results in their cooperation in various fields, Li said upon his arrival in Jakarta.

"My visit is aimed at cementing mutual political trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and enhancing the friendship of our peoples," Li said. "I expect joint efforts of both sides to promote the bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields so as to bring more benefits to the peoples of both countries."

China is willing to join member states of ASEAN, including Indonesia, to strive for greater development of China-ASEAN relations and cooperation, Li said.

China and ASEAN should work together to build a community of shared future with neighboring countries and promote regional peace, stability and development, he said.

During his visit, Li will hold talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and attend a China-Indonesia business summit. The schedule also includes witnessing the signing of cooperation documents.

The Chinese premier will visit the ASEAN Secretariat to underscore China's commitment to its relations with the 10-member community, meet with ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, and attend celebration activities of the anniversary.

China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for seven years in a row. In 2017, two-way trade reached 63.3 billion U.S. dollars, up 18 percent year-on-year. Good results have been achieved in building the China-Indonesia industrial parks and steady progress is being made in the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, Li said in a signed article published by the Jakarta Post on Saturday.

China is also Indonesia's largest source of foreign tourists and second-largest host of Indonesian students, the article noted.

Placing ASEAN as a high priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy, China has been a staunch supporter of ASEAN community building and ASEAN centrality in East Asian cooperation, Li said in the article, adding that China is keen to work with ASEAN to uphold the multilateral trading system and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

After the trip to Indonesia, Li will leave for Japan on Tuesday to attend the 7th China-Japan-ROK leaders' meeting and pay an official visit to Japan.

Editor: John Li