PM Wong on introductory visit to Jakarta to meet Prabowo
This is his second trip to the Indonesian capital in slightly over two weeks
SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is making a two-day introductory visit to Jakarta from Tuesday (Nov 5) to meet the newly sworn-in Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
This is PM Wong’s second trip to the Indonesian capital in slightly over two weeks; he was also in Jakarta to attend Prabowo’s inauguration on Oct 20.
PM Wong is the first foreign leader to make an official visit to Indonesia under the new administration.
This is also his third official visit, after Malaysia and Brunei, since he took office in May.
“The visit reaffirms Singapore’s commitment to strengthening our longstanding friendship with Indonesia, and provides an opportunity for leaders on both sides to exchange views on enhancing bilateral ties,” Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
PM Wong arrived shortly past 6 pm and was received by Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, and the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo, the press office of Indonesia’s Presidential Secretariat said in a statement on the same day.
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On Wednesday, PM Wong is set to lay a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes’ Cemetery in South Jakarta, ahead of his meetings with Prabowo and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Additionally, the Singapore leader is scheduled to meet Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly Ahmad Muzani, as well as Speaker of the Regional Representative Council Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin.
Prabowo was declared president-elect in March after securing close to 59 per cent of the votes together with his running mate Gibran, who is the eldest son of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo.
In a letter to congratulate Prabowo’s inauguration last month, PM Wong said he is looking forward to working with him to expand collaboration between the two countries, adding that they are starting from a strong base.
He also said there is significant potential for collaboration in many areas. In recent years, both countries have started on renewable energy, sustainability, food security, human capital development and healthcare, and PM Wong said he hopes they can take cooperation “to the next level”.
Accompanying him on the trip are Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Manpower Minister and Second Trade and Industry Minister Tan See Leng, and Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health Rahayu Mahzam.
While PM Wong is away, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be the acting prime minister.
Indonesia is currently Singapore’s sixth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade last year amounting to S$69 billion.
The Republic has also consistently been Indonesia’s top source of foreign direct investments since 2014, clocking US$15.4 billion worth of such investments last year.
Both countries are among each other’s top source of visitor arrivals. Last year, Singapore had 2.3 million visitors from Indonesia, while Indonesia welcomed 1.4 million tourists from Singapore.
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