HK Fosters Ties With Indonesia

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau said the mission of his visit to Jakarta is to foster trade and investment ties between Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Speaking at a media session after meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo today, Mr Yau said such a relationship between the two places is premised on three major platforms.

He said first, Indonesia is a major market and business partner of Hong Kong because of its population of more than 200 million people and also its economic strength.

“I would also describe that in our bilateral meeting between your President and our Chief Executive, we highlighted the tremendous potential for this bilateral relationship to grow as Indonesia continues to prosper and also Hong Kong serving as the regional hub for this region, in particular, for Indonesia.”

Second, there is a strategic relationship between Hong Kong and Indonesia due to the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Mr Yau said the third platform is the Belt & Road Initiative, which connects Hong Kong, Indonesia and other countries.

“In the Belt & Road Initiative, there will be a lot of connectivity between governments. One of the areas which is being advocated under the Belt & Road Initiative is policy co-ordination. It requires government-to-government networking, and that’s why it’s important for the Hong Kong Government to reach out and to establish an even closer relationship with a partner like Indonesia.”

He added the bilateral meeting also covered infrastructure development, city management and synergy within the business sector.