Meeting 10 CEOs And Entrepreneurs In China, Vice President Ma'ruf Invites Halal Business Investment In Indonesia

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin met with businessmen in China's food, fisheries and logistics sectors in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China on Friday (15/9/2023). (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin invites halal business people from China to invest in Indonesia. "I invite halal business players who have expressed their desire to invest in the halal industry sector to be able to invest and build industries in sectors that can meet domestic and export needs," said Vice President Ma'ruf Amin in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, as reported by Antara, Friday, September 15. This was conveyed by Vice President Ma'ruf in a meeting with 10 CEOs and General Managers (GM) businessmen from Fujian, Tianjin and Shanghai who are engaged in the food sector, especially fishery and marine products. According to the Vice President, currently Indonesia has three Halal Industrial Estates (KIH), namely Halal Modern Valley in Serang; Halal Industrial Park in Sidoarjo; and Bintan Inti Halal Hub in Bintan. The Indonesian government has also invited the Batang and Aviarna Industrial Estates to build halal zones such as in the Bintan area to encourage the realization of the potential of the halal food industry in the TCTP corridor (Two Countries Twin Parks). "Two Countries Twin Parks (TCTP)" is an agreement between the Indonesian and Chinese governments which was first agreed upon on January 12, 2021 between the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenkomarinves) and the Chinese government. TCTP encourages investment cooperation in industrial areas that have been agreed upon, namely the Yuanhong Investment Zone in China with industrial areas in Bintan (Bintan Industrial Estate), Semarang (Aviarna Industrial Estate) and Batang (Batang Industrial Estate) in Indonesia. "Regarding halal certification for products from companies in China, halal certification can be carried out through the Office of Representatives of the Indonesian Ulema Council for Food, Medicine and Cosmetic Studies (LPPOM MUI) in Shanghai," said the Vice President. Regarding the plan to establish a Center for Halal Certification in Yuanhong Investment Zone, Vice President Ma'ruf said it could be followed up in accordance with applicable procedures through coordination for the registration and assessment process with BPJPH. "The results of the assessment are the basis for the issuance of Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) or Accreditation Certification," said the Vice President. BPJPH saat ini, menurut Wapres, baru menerima sebanyak empat permohonan Registrasi Lembaga Halal Luar Negeri dari China yakni: Islamic Food Research Center (Hong Kong), Halal Certification Service (Chongqing), Shandong halal Certification Service (Jinan), Shaandu Shang Pin Yuan Halal Food and Restaurant Management Co. Ltd. TCTP was initiated with the intention of promoting the synergy between the vision of building the priorities of the two countries, namely the 'World Maritime Axis' from Indonesia and the "Belt and Road Initiative" from China. During the 2018 to 2022 period, the value of Chinese investment in Indonesia reached 23.35 billion US dollars (around Rp358.8 trillion) which was implemented in more than 12,200 projects. TCTP is expected to continue to increase Chinese investment in Indonesia, especially in the industrial sector. The Indonesian-China TCTP in China is located in the Fuqing area, in Fujian Province. Based on TCTP's cooperation plan, there are 36 investment projects in the Fuqing area with an investment value of 19.8 billion yuan (around Rp41.83 trillion). During the meeting, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin was accompanied by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the People's Republic of China and Mongolia Djauhari Oratmangun, Head of the Secretariat of Vice President Ahmad Erani Yustika, Deputy for Economic Policy Support and Increasing Competitiveness Guntur Iman Nefianto, Special Staff to the Vice President for Bureaucratic Reform M Nasir, and Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Guangzhou Ben Perkasa Drajat.

Meanwhile, from the government and Chinese businessmen were present, among others, Deputy Governor of Fujian Province Wang Xingxang, Director of Yuanhong Investment Zone Shijie You, Director of the Investment Promotion Center for the Indonesian-China Twin Industry Area (Two Countries Twin Parks/TCTP) Cui Ren Jie, as well as a number of CEOs and GMs of Chinese companies.