Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, announced that Indonesia is exploring cooperation with China in several sectors, particularly education. Luhut mentioned that he visited China two weeks ago to discuss potential collaborations. "What interests me the most is the planned educational cooperation with top Chinese universities like Tsinghua and Fudan," Luhut said in a post on his personal Instagram account on Wednesday, 26 June 2024. Luhut emphasized that China is an ideal partner for human resource development, noting that China's research funding is the second-largest in the world, amounting to USD 551.1 billion. "I proposed that they accept top graduates from Indonesian students for undergraduate and graduate programs. After graduation, they could also participate in job training programs at companies in China before returning to Indonesia," Luhut explained.
In addition to educational cooperation, Luhut also highlighted opportunities for trade cooperation between Indonesia and China, specifically in the export of durian. He sees significant potential in this market, which is estimated to be worth USD 7-8 billion. "Imagine if a single regency in Indonesia, with a population of 80,000 to 100,000, could export USD 100 million worth of durian to China annually. This could generate an income of IDR 1.5 trillion, significantly boosting the local economy," Luhut said. Luhut also discussed several other areas of cooperation, including green energy, improving the quality of domestic healthcare equipment and facilities, and large-scale textile industry investments. "I hope that the high-level discussions, followed by deeper cooperation in various sectors, will not only advance Indonesia and China but also positively impact the future of other developing countries in building a community for a shared future," Luhut concluded.
