(Jakarta News) A delegation of 31 people led by President Gao Quanqing of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including core director Ho Nai Chuan, chairman of the Research and Publication Committee Huang Yiqiao, chairman of the Business and Industry Committee Xie Jinfa, vice chairman of the International Affairs Committee Tan Qingshun, and vice chairman of the Industry Committee Zhang Qunfa etc., visited Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association at 3:30 pm on July 16, 2024 (Tuesday), and were welcomed by General Chairman Zhang Jinxiong, Chairman of the Guidance Committee Lin Wenguang, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee Xie Huaan, Supervisory Committee members Chen Bonian and Wang Zhenkun, Vice Chairman Weng Weiguang, Xue Tianzeng, Lian Jiehao, Chen Xin, Jiang Miaocheng, Secretary General Zhou Weiliang, Honorary Chairman Wu Deyin and other directors gave a warm welcome.
Chairman Zhang Jinxiong said, first of all, on behalf of the Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association, I would like to extend a warm welcome and sincere greetings to Chairman Gao and all of you!
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the largest economy in ASEAN. It has a total population of about 280 million and a good demographic structure. More than half are young people under the age of 30. The labor force between the ages of 15 and 64 accounts for about 10% of the total population. Nearly 70% of the population. The huge demographic dividend not only provides a vast domestic consumer market, but also provides sufficient talent guarantee for Indonesia's future economic development.
According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Investment, in the first quarter of 2024, Indonesia's total domestic and foreign investment reached 401.5 trillion rupiah, approximately US$24.7 billion, of which foreign investment reached 204 trillion rupiah, approximately US$12.5 billion. Singapore remains Indonesia's largest source of foreign investment, with investment reaching US$4.2 billion in the first quarter. This was followed by Hong Kong, China, with an investment of US$1.89 billion, followed by mainland China, with an investment of US$1.87 billion.
Zhang Jinxiong pointed out that Indonesia and Singapore are close neighbors. They not only maintain deep and close economic cooperation and personnel exchanges for a long time, but also share similar historical experiences. They also have many things in common in many aspects such as folk customs, culture, and religious beliefs. The Singapore Chinese Entrepreneur Association is not only well-established and has a long history, it also plays an active role in Singapore's society, economy and trade, culture and education. It has also formed a lot of valuable experience, which is very worthy of learning from Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association.
Today, President Gao Quanqing can lead a delegation to visit. We are very happy and sincerely welcome you all to visit Indonesia often and communicate with Indonesian entrepreneurs. In the future, we also hope to continue to maintain close contact with your association, establish a normalized information communication mechanism, jointly promote the friendly cooperation between our two associations, and jointly help our member companies explore business opportunities and seek common development!
Zhang Jinxiong said, "We believe that no matter how the times change, the spirit of Chinese businessmen of "integrity-based and hard work" will always remain unchanged! We look forward to the Indonesian ACCCIM and the Singapore ACCCIM working together in the future to jointly promote the economic, social, and economic development of the two countries. Prosperity and development in culture and other aspects! Finally, I wish our friends from ACCCIM in Singapore a successful and fruitful trip to Indonesia.
President Gao Quanqing of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry pointed out that ACCCIM enjoys a high reputation and broad influence in the Indonesian business community and Chinese society, and has made outstanding contributions in gathering Chinese businessmen, building the economy, and promoting economic and trade exchanges. We sincerely admire you and hope to have deeper exchanges and learn more with you today.
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry covers tens of thousands of merchants from all walks of life in Singapore. Last year, the "Annual Business Opinion Survey" we conducted among member companies found that the three major international markets that Singaporean companies most yearn for when going overseas include Malaysia, Indonesia and China.
Gao Quanqing said that in April this year, Singapore's then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said at the Singapore-India Leaders' Informal Summit that "Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN. When Indonesia prospers, this region will prosper." At the "14th Singapore-Indonesia Six Bilateral Economic Working Group Ministerial Meeting" held in Singapore last month, the leaders of the two countries also discussed cooperation opportunities in the fields of medical care, infrastructure, green economy and other fields. I firmly believe that as our two countries expand cooperation in various fields, our two companies under the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce can also carry out meaningful cooperation in the direction of complementary advantages, strong alliances, and mutual benefit.
He said that we also believe that ASEAN will become the world's fourth largest economy in 2030. It not only has abundant manpower and a huge market, but also has considerable innovation and development potential in various industries. I very much look forward to our two associations working together to seize the new opportunities in the new era. In particular, Chinese businessmen in Singapore and Indonesia share common cultural values and value integrity, diligence, and innovation. If we work together, we will be able to achieve great success.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks again to Indonesian Chinese Entrepreneur Association for hosting a banquet tonight, and look forward to promoting mutual exchanges in the coming time. I also welcome friends from the Indonesian ACCCIM to come to Singapore again for inspection and exchange in the future. I sincerely wish you all good health and prosperous business!
At the exchange meeting, representatives from all parties spoke and interacted respectively. After the exchange meeting, representatives from both sides exchanged souvenirs and took photos, and then went to the Function Hall of Sun City Restaurant for a dinner party.