INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - A total of 40 investors from Hong Kong and China are exploring opportunities for trade and investment cooperation in Indonesia under the framework of the initiative of the 21st Century Silk Road and Maritime Line or "Belt and Road".

The assessment was presented in a seminar titled "Indonesia-Hong Kong Strategic Cooperation in Belt and Road Initiative" held jointly by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), China Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong (CGCC) and Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) in Jakarta , Wednesday (4/25/2018)

HKTDC Chairman Vincent Lo said that since launching the promotion of Indonesia-Hong Kong business opportunity two years ago, the cooperation relationship between both parties has been growing.

"Trading has increased over the past two years to 126 percent since 2005 by 1.1 million US dollars, with the agreement, a lot of growing space including trade in services and investment," he said.

Meanwhile, CGCC Chairman Jonathan Choi believes the Belt and Road initiative brings real opportunities and advantages to Indonesia and China itself.

The Government of Indonesia has committed to developing infrastructure to drive connectivity improvements and economic growth.

"While China, in line with the Belt and Road initiative, is also investing in Indonesia's infrastructure such as the Jakarta-Bandung highway and the development of Kuala Tanjung Port," he told media crew

Choi said that in this regard, Hong Kong can be a liaison, investor and operator in Indonesia's infrastructure development under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.

By adopting a two-state system, he assured that cooperation with Hong Kong could increase the value of Indonesia's partnership with China and various business partners abroad.

"Surely this will benefit Indonesia, Hong Kong and China," he said.

The investment delegation brought to Jakarta has expertise in finance, consultancy, architecture, energy, water and waste processing, construction and engineering, law and accounting, transportation, service providers and information technology.

The delegation was also brought in cooperation with the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Hong Kong and Indonesia have a close bilateral relationship with high business and trade values. Based on HKTDC data, Indonesia is the 22nd largest export market for Hong Kong, with exports reaching 2.9 billion US dollars in 2017. In the same period, Hong Kong's imports from Indonesia reached 2.5 billion US dollars.