Jokowi Visits China, Japan And South Korea In 2 Days Next Week

President Jokowi and Iriana (Photo: BPMI Setpres/Lukas)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is scheduled to travel to China, Japan and South Korea on July 26-28, 2022.

"The three countries are Indonesia's strategic partners in the economic field, as well as strategic partners for ASEAN when we talk about regional issues," said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in an online press statement, Thursday, July 21.

Retno explained that the focus of President Jokowi's visit to the three East Asian countries was to increase economic cooperation, particularly trade and investment.

President Jokowi will arrive in Beijing on July 26, 2022. Here, Jokowi will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping.

"President Jokowi was one of the first leaders President Xi Jinping received during the pandemic, outside of the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year," Retno said as quoted by Antara.

China is listed as Indonesia's largest trading partner with a bilateral trade value of USD 110 billion (approximately IDR 1.650 trillion) in 2021, while China's investment in Indonesia is recorded at USD 3.2 billion (approximately IDR 48 trillion).

After a day in Beijing, Jokowi continued his trip to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Japanese business circles.

"Japan is an important traditional economic partner for Indonesia," said Retno.

Indonesia-Japan bilateral trade last year reached 32 billion US dollars (around IDR 480 trillion) and the investment value was recorded at 2.26 billion US dollars (approximately IDR 33.9 trillion).

After Beijing and Tokyo, President Jokowi's last destination in his short visit is Seoul on July 28, 2022.

In the South Korean capital, Jokowi is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Retno explained that South Korea is also an important partner in the economic sector with a bilateral trade value of 18.41 billion US dollars (approximately IDR 276.1 trillion).

South Korean investment in Indonesia continues to grow rapidly, and last year it reached 1.64 billion US dollars (around IDR 24.6 trillion).

"In addition to discussing strengthening bilateral cooperation, the President (Jokowi) and the leaders of the three countries in each bilateral meeting will also discuss the latest developments on several regional and international issues," said Retno.