Ambassador's Message

Welcoming Remarks
for the launching of the Embassy’s Website
by
H.E. Sudrajat
Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the People’s Republic of China

With the celebration of the 57th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Indonesia and the People’s Republic of China, it is with the deepest sense of pleasure that I note how much our two countries’ and peoples’ relations and cooperation has evolved, particularly in the last two decades.

Some statistics speak loudly of these evolving relations and cooperation: the total bilateral trade volume in 2006 reached US$19.06 billion or almost three times greater than in 2001; China is now the 5th largest export destination for Indonesian products and the 3rd largest source of Indonesian imports; and Chinese investment in Indonesia (excluding the oil and gas, banking, insurance, and mining sectors) accumulated to over US$8 billion during the past decade and ranked 5th among foreign investors.  Nevertheless, the potential for cooperation in many other fields have yet to be realized to the fullest, or worse, remained untapped.

Therefore, like a surge of optimism, the signing of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President Hu Jintao on April 2005 set the two countries on a course towards a new era of cooperation, a journey towards greater peace, stability, and prosperity.  In embodying the common desire to step up currently-placed areas of cooperation as well as explore new ones, the Joint Declaration envisaged two peoples, hand-in-hand, taking advantage as well as overcoming the challenges of today’s globalised economy.  Of course, how far and to which direction this journey will take depends on the two peoples.

Cooperation needs to be built on greater people-to-people contacts, and this can only be achieved through building mutual trust and confidence, which in turn stems from knowledge of one another.  In this vein, I sincerely believe that the launching of the Embassy of Indonesia in Beijing Website will provide a window through which peoples from both countries can learn about each other and from each other’s experiences.  As well, the Website will provide valuable information and assistance for those intending to visit Indonesia and engage the Indonesian people through various means of cooperation.

As such, I would like to take this opportunity to officially launch the Embassy of Indonesia in Beijing Website and hope that its continuous development would assist in the strengthening of relations and cooperation between the two strategic partners and their peoples.

Thank you.