Indonesia's Close Relationship with China Boosts Trade and Investment

Ambassador of Indonesia to China Djauhari Oratmangun explained how the bilateral partnership between Indonesia and China had increased trade between the two countries. "We [Indonesia-China] are friends. There should be special treatment for friends so that the number increases," he said in an exclusive interview with Katadata.co.id in Bali, ahead of the G20 Summit on Sunday.

According to China’s General Administration on Customs, the trade volume between the two countries has reached US$110.2 billion this year through September, increasing 29.2 percent from a year earlier. Djauhari hopes Indonesia can exceed last year's trade volume, which reached US$120 billion. He is optimistic that this can be achieved if he sees an increasing monthly trend that reaches US$10 billion. The trade value between Indonesia and China can reach US$140 billion by the end of this year.