Foreign and Military Affairs

Chinese, Indonesian leaders meet on G20 sidelines

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-27 00:56
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TORONTO, Canada - Chinese President Hu Jintao met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Satruday on further development of strategic partnership between their two countries.

Hu and Susilo met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit, which begins Saturday and focuses on ways to secure the global economic recovery and address the economic challenges and risks.

Hu said Chinese-Indonesian relations had developed favorably this year. At the start of the year, the two sides signed an action plan for strategic partnership, while cooperation in the sectors of economy and trade, culture and education had witnessed smooth development.

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The two sides also reached an important consensus on deepening defense cooperation and maintained good coordination and cooperation on international and regional affairs within the framework of the United Nations and G20, Hu said.

Hu said China attached much importance to boosting strategic partnership with Indonesia.

The Chinese side proposed the two sides maintain high level exchanges, welcoming Susilo to visit China to attend the Shanghai World Expo and the expo between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Hu said.

China was also willing to enlarge investment in Indonesia and supported Chinese companies to take part in major projects of Indonesia's infrastructure building, he said.

The two sides would work together to hold activities marking the Chinese-Indonesian friendly year to strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples, Hu said.

He said the two countries should also enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs in a bid to set up more justice and reasonable international political and economic orders.

On China's relations with ASEAN, Hu said China was ready to see a more united, stable and prosperous ASEAN and would continue to support its efforts towards integration and its leading role in east Asia cooperation.

China would join hands with ASEAN in maintaining and building the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), enhance the China-ASEAN cooperation in infrastructure and financial fields and expand humanitarian exchanges, Hu said.

Susilo said the Chinese-Indonesian strategic partnership was developing well with closer political, economic and security cooperation.

Indonesia sincerely hoped to strengthen cooperation with China to enhance the bilateral relations and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, Susilo said.

Indonesia was willing to maintain high-level contacts and welcomed Chinese enterprises to invest in infrastructure and tourism, he said.

Both China and ASEAN should guarantee the implementation of the CAFTA, Susilo said, adding that Indonesia hoped China could keep its important role in G20 to contribute to the Asian and global economic growth.

Relations between China and Indonesia have grown substantially since the two countries set up diplomatic ties 60 years ago.

In 2005, the two countries signed a joint declaration on the establishment of a strategic partnership.

In 2006, China and Indonesia launched a dialogue mechanism at the vice-premier level.

Trade cooperation between the two countries has also expanded in recent years.

In 2009, two-way trade was valued at US$28.3 billion. And in the first three months of this year, bilateral trade stood at US$8.8 billion, a 78 percent increase over the corresponding period of last year.