Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), at a Tuesday meeting with Hong Kong’s high-ranking officials and business players, put the spotlight on investment opportunities in Indonesia and the importance of protecting Indonesian citizens.
“Investment opportunities in Indonesia are huge, including the construction of the new capital city,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated at the Presidential Palace Complex here on Tuesday.
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Marsudi remarked that in addition to presenting investment opportunities in Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara in East Kalimantan, President Jokowi also offered investment in four potential sectors — infrastructure, transportation, digital technology, and green energy — to the Hong Kong entrepreneurs.
At the meeting, the president also drew attention to the importance of cooperation in the field of customs to erase trade barriers between Indonesia and Hong Kong.
“We remain committed to giving (trade) facilitation so that trade barriers can be reduced,” Marsudi stated.
The minister said that the president had highlighted the importance of access facilitation for Indonesian items, including food, agricultural, and spice products.
President Jokowi also emphasized the importance of protection and welfare for Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong.
The number of Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong currently reaches 140 thousand, out of which 90 percent work as migrant workers.
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“The Chief Executive of Hong Kong said that they are very grateful for the presence of Indonesian migrant workers there who greatly contribute to Hong Kong’s economy,” Marsudi remarked.
On Tuesday, President Jokowi received a delegation of high-ranking officials and leaders from 30 major companies in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong was Indonesia’s second-largest foreign investor after Singapore in the first quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, the trade value of Indonesia and Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2023 grew by over 20 percent.