简体中文
By APD writer Maverick
**JAKARTA, Nov. 13 (APD) ** — China and Indonesia senior officials overseeing energy and mineral sectors signed here on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) document to intensify bilateral cooperation in the sectors so as to mutually benefiting the two nations.
Administrator of China’s National Energy Administration Nur Bekri and Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignatius Jonan signing of the document, Nov. 13, 2017, Jakarta
Signing of the document was conducted by Administrator of China’s National Energy Administration Nur Bekri and Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignatius Jonan following a meeting between the two here.
The MoU document signing culminated the 5th China-Indonesia Energy Forum held here since Saturday.
Speaking in his remarks to address the forum held in a lavish hotel here, Bekri said that his meeting with Jonan has produced positive commitments between the two sides, making him ‘convinced and very optimistic’ on the future of China and Indonesia cooperation in the sectors.
The deepening bilateral cooperation in the sectors would further empower each other, has very huge prospects that would benefit the two sides, he said.
“It would further boost scales of economy and trade in the respective nations, mutually improve economic growth and attract more reciprocal investors in both countries,” Bekri said in the peak of 3-day forum.
Apart from that, Bekri added that deepening bilateral cooperation in energy and mineral resources would support the efforts to secure energy reserves, addressing sustainable development drive and improving capability based on their specific characters in the respective countries.
In his turn to convey his remarks in the forum, Minister Jonan said that the MoU document signing has showed China and Indonesia’s sincere commitments to step up further bilateral cooperation in energy and mineral resources.
Cited content of his meeting with Bekri, Jonan said that the two sides agreed on further cooperation in the sectors’ several fields of upstream business of oil and gas, infrastructure, electricity, coals and renewable energy.
“We expect Chinese investors to further expand their investments in renewable energy sector. Indonesia has set target to see a 23 percent contribution of renewable energy in the nation’s energy-mix by 2025,” the minister said.
After the MoU document signing, there would be more frequent meetings between China and Indonesia's related officials to explore and study energy projects that can be jointly worked on together, the minister said.
According to the minister, Chinese investors have dominated foreign investments in energy sector with various projects in oil and gas, electricity and mineral resources.
He added that Chinese investors now carried out minor and major coal-fired power plants projects in several locations in the country, supporting government’s aim to secure 97 percent of electrification ratio for households across the country by 2019.
Besides that, government has also established cooperation with China’s oil and gas firms of
China’s Sinopec, PetroChina and CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) to jointly operate several oil and gas blocs in the country, he added.
In mineral resources sector, the minister said that a Chinese investor also runs aluminum smelter in Morowali, Central Sulawesi province. Another Chinese investor is now in the process to open similar smelter in Bontang, East Kalimantan province.
All of those investments have apparently opening thousands of jobs for Indonesian people, the minister added.
The 5th China-Indonesia Energy Forum was participated by 96 officials and businessmen from China and 46 from Indonesia. It was a resumption of similar activity which has been inactive in the last 7 years. The last of the forum was held in China’s Nanning in 2010.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
