Chinese Premiere Jiabao and Indonesian President Yudhoyono meet to boost bilateral ties

[News_Editor]

Chinese Premiere Jiabao and Indonesian President Yudhoyono meet to boost bilateral ties

2011-04-29 20:54:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday met and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in various sectors including trade and education.

Jiabao and Yudhoyono signed an economic and trade cooperation deal as Indonesia and China target boosting their trade to $80 billion by 2015. In 2010, bilateral trade reached $42.75 billion, representing a 50.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The two leaders are expected to sign memorandums of understanding (MoU) in various sectors, including trade, industry, education, as well as discuss regional issues, such as food, energy, security, and global cooperation. Besides deepening economic ties, China and Indonesia also agreed to enhance cultural exchanges and build a stronger friendship.

Jiabao visited Jakarta's University of Al Azhar Indonesia, reciting an ancient Chinese poem, and delighting the young crowd by singing along to Indonesian traditional folk song 'Ayo Mama.' During his speech, Jiabao noted the importance of Chinese and Indonesian youth, as they represent the foundation and future of the countries' bilateral friendship.

The Chinese Premiere also called for further bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and relief, recalling Indonesia's international medical team that participated in a month-long rescue operation after 2008's devastating earthquake that struck China's Sichuang province. Likewise, China had sent rescue teams to assist the relief effort after the catastrophic tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004.

While China continues to import large quantities of coal and gas from Indonesia, which in turn continues to seek further investments from China, January's free-trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is key in the countries' bilateral trade and economic ties.

The Asian leaders met in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta as Jiabao ends his Southeast Asia tour with a two-day visit to the country, following his trip to Malaysia.

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