Indonesian President’s State visit to help deepen strategic partnership: diplomat

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông in talks with Vietnam News Agency reporters in Jakarta. — VNA/VNS Photo Đào Trang

JAKARTA — The state visit to Việt Nam by Indonesian President Joko Widodo from January 11-13 will be an opportunity for the two countries to discuss measures to deepen their strategic partnership and tighten their traditional friendship nurtured over the past nearly 70 years, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Tạ Văn Thông.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters in Jakarta, Thông said that this will be the second state visit to Việt Nam by the President, after the first in September 2018.

The diplomat said that during this visit, the two sides can exchange views on fields of shared concern such as promoting trade and investment, and cooperating in energy transition and development of green and digital economy, electric vehicle manufacturing, and hi-tech agriculture.

As the world situation is experiencing big developments in terms of geopolitics, security, and economics, the two sides will have many issues to be discussed to boost cooperation and coordination at regional and international forums, said Thông.

The traditional friendship and trust always serve as a solid foundation for the framework of the Việt Nam-Indonesia strategic partnership, aiming towards a deeper, substantial, and effective collaboration in all areas.

Both countries still have untapped potentials and strengths that can complement each other.

The diplomat underscored that both nations are active members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), playing a certain role and position in the region and to some extent on the international stage. Therefore, the close and profound cooperation between Việt Nam and Indonesia not only serves the practical interests of the people of both countries but also contributes to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the region as well as the world.

Together with fine political relations, bilateral trade cooperation has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years, increasing from US$8.2 billion in 2020 to $14.17 billion in 2022.

As of the end of November last year, Indonesia’s total investment capital in Việt Nam has reached $651.21 million, with 120 ongoing projects (increasing by two projects with an additional capital of $4.71 million in 2023) and ranks 29th out of 143 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam.

Many Indonesian corporations and companies are investing and operating successfully in Việt Nam, such as Ciputra, Traveloka, Gojek, PT Vietmindo Energitama, Jafpa Comfeed Vietnam, Semen Indonesia Group, etc.

Conversely, some major Vietnamese enterprises and corporations have a presence in Indonesia, such as FPT, Điện Máy Xanh (Green Electronics), and other enterprises are in the process of completing investment procedures in Indonesia, such as Taxi Xanh (Vingroup), Việt Thái Group, Thái Bình Shoes, Thuận Hải JSC, among others.

Of particular note is the project by Vinfast Global with a planned total investment of $1.2 billion to build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Indonesia with a capacity of 50,000 cars per year. The groundbreaking is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024, and completion is expected in 2026.

Last year, Indonesia became Việt Nam’s third biggest export market, and second largest import market in the ASEAN.

Regarding the target of $15 billion in two-way trade by 2028, the diplomat said that the goal is reachable.

To that end, the two countries are coordinating to soon organise their eighth economic and trade joint committee, he said, adding that the Vietnamese Government has issued a strategy to develop the Halal industry to boost exports to Muslim markets, including Indonesia.

As both Việt Nam and Indonesia have made strong commitments to cutting carbon emissions, demonstrating their responsibility in contributing to the global effort to respond to climate change, they can cooperate closely in the fields of energy transition, carbon storage, development of renewable and green energies, and sustainable green economic development.

It is necessary to consider the signing of a new agricultural cooperation agreement to carry out specific collaboration projects to increase farmers’ livelihoods, ensure food security and promote trade and economic development of each country, said Thông.

Regarding aquatic products and fisheries, the two sides can continue to promote recent exchanges on commodity groups such as lobster, tuna, and seaweed. They can also strengthen cooperation between businesses, associations and fishermen to develop fisheries in a sustainable way.

Tourism is also a promising field to promote collaboration between the two countries, he said. The resumption of direct flights after a period of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the opening of new HCM City-Jakarta and Hà Nội-Jakarta routes by the Vietnamese budget carrier, Vietjet, are favourable conditions for the two sides to cooperate in developing specific tourism products, connecting destinations, and creating new products in a green and sustainable direction, he assessed.

According to the diplomat, the traditional and trusted friendship is a solid foundation for the Việt Nam-Indonesia strategic partnership to look toward the future, and become more substantive and effective in all fields, and the two countries still have huge potential to be tapped and a lot of advantages to supplement each other. — VNS