People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Bambang Soesatyo encouraged Indonesia’s government to increase bilateral cooperation with South Korea for Indonesia’s new national capital city (IKN) construction in East Kalimantan and the Indonesian Presidency Program in G20.
Soesatyo explained that Indonesia’s trade with South Korea in 2021 was valued at US$18.47 billion, while Indonesia’s exports to South Korea totaled US$8.98 billion, while Indonesia’s imports from South Korea reached US$9.42 billion.
“It is hoped that in 2022, the value of trade between Indonesia and South Korea would continue to increase. Indonesia has provided easy investment licensing through Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation,” Soesatyo noted in a statement here on Friday.
The statement was delivered after meeting Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea Gandi Sulistiyanto and the embassy staff at the Indonesian Ambassador’s Residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday.
Soesatyo also encouraged cooperation in the multi-industry sector, especially the development of electric cars in Indonesia.
He explained that the cooperation that could be implemented encompassed joint research in the market of micro electric vehicles, the production of electric vehicle batteries in Indonesia, and the provision of infrastructure for charging stations.
“Currently, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (HMMI) has been appointed by the government to become an electric car manufacturer in Indonesia. It is marked by the production of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric car in Cikarang, West Java,” he remarked.
Soesatyo said the Hyundai factory was directed to form the largest upstream to downstream electric car industry ecosystem in Southeast Asia.
He encouraged the factory of Hyundai Indonesia to immediately produce electric vehicle batteries in Indonesia.
He emphasized that other important collaborations that should be improved were related to digital transformation and digital finance.
“In this field, South Korea has advantages and experiences in accelerating its application to the manufacturing industry, such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and open data,” he stated.
He noted that this aligned with the three priorities of the Indonesian presidency in the G20: health architecture, energy transition, and digital transformation.
Soesatyo expects the South Korean government to provide full support to the G20 agenda by building strong partnerships in the three priority programs of the Indonesian presidency.
Source: Antara News