(Jakarta) Gansu Governor Ren Zhenhe led a trade delegation, including Secretary-General Zhang Weiwen, Director of the Department of Commerce Yang Xiaoping, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office Zhang Baojun, Director of the Research Office Yang Dingtao and other 14 entrepreneurs, visited Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association at 11 am on December 2, 2024 (Monday), and was welcomed by Chairman Zhang Jinxiong, Secretary-General Zhou Weiliang, Supervisory Committee members Chen Boyan and Liang Yuanan, Vice Chairman Xue Tianzeng, Lian Jiehao, Chen Xin, Finance Lin Wenxian, Vice Chairman Liao Yangzong, Wang Lisong and other directors.
Chairman Zhang Jinxiong said that here, on behalf of Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to all the guests who have come from afar!
Zhang Jinxiong said that Indonesia and China have been friendly neighbors across the sea since ancient times. Since the 21st century, the economic cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen, political mutual trust has continued to increase, economic and trade cooperation has achieved leapfrog development, and entered a new stage of building a community with a shared future! Data show that the trade volume between the two countries exceeded US$100 billion in 2021, and reached nearly US$150 billion in 2022. From January to August this year, bilateral trade volume reached US$92.79 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%. So far, China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years. At the same time, China is also Indonesia's second largest source of foreign investment, and Indonesia is China's second largest investment destination in the ASEAN region.
As we all know, Indonesia is a resource-rich country with nearly 40% of the world's geothermal resources. It ranks first in the world in nickel reserves and production. It is also the world's largest coal exporter and the second largest tin producer. It is also rich in gold, silver, copper, iron, oil and other resources. In recent years, the Indonesian government has insisted on promoting the "downstreamization of minerals", increasing the added value of raw materials, vigorously developing industries such as mineral smelting and new energy electric vehicle manufacturing, and actively promoting the transformation of clean energy to achieve sustainable development.
As the world's fourth most populous country, Indonesia has a total population of about 281 million and a good population structure. More than half of the population are young people under the age of 30, and the labor force between the ages of 15 and 64 accounts for nearly 70% of the total population. At the same time, Indonesia is also the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, with about 87% of the population believing in Islam. In Indonesia, the development of the halal industry, including halal agriculture, food and beverages, medicines, cosmetics, tourism and fashion and other related industries, has made great contributions to our national economy. It is reported that in 2023, the halal-related industrial chain supported nearly 23% of Indonesia's total economy.
Zhang Jinxiong said that Indonesia is a vast and open market. Like Gansu, it has innate resource advantages, diverse and inclusive ethnic groups and religions, and similar food culture preferences. We believe that Indonesia will be a very good investment and development destination for everyone. We very much welcome the Gansu Provincial Government and entrepreneurs to come to Indonesia to take a look and share the development opportunities of Indonesia's economy and society.
We, Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association, will continue to play a good role as a bridge for communication and cooperation between the two sides, provide necessary consultation and assistance for everyone to invest and settle in Indonesia, and make positive contributions to promoting economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between Indonesia and China! Finally, I sincerely wish Governor Ren and the delegation a successful and fruitful trip to Indonesia.
Governor Ren Zhenhe expressed his sincere gratitude for the warm hospitality of Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association. The governor said that our visit to Indonesia this time has three main purposes. First, to visit Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association, because it has a lofty status in the Chinese community, Gansu Province, as a local government, seeks support and help from Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association to truly realize the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries. The current relationship between China and Indonesia is at its best. Strengthening cooperation between the two sides, I hope to seek cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, and seek common development through exchanges with Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association.
The second purpose is to visit the Indonesian Investment Department, hoping that the Indonesian Investment Department will provide a comfortable environment for Gansu enterprises to invest in Indonesia, provide more laws and policies that are conducive to our investment in Indonesia, and further expand and deepen investment in Indonesia in the future.
The third purpose is to congratulate Wang Lutong, the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, on taking office, and hope that the Chinese Embassy can help Gansu enterprises to invest in Indonesia and deepen cooperation, including in economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges, tourism, traditional Chinese medicine, agriculture, new energy, and mineral processing. It is hoped that the Chinese Embassy will further expand its influence and deepen exchanges.
