Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is scheduled to attend China's Belt and Road Forum next week, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal.

China will host its third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17-18. The event marks one decade of the Belt and Road Initiative, in which China invests in the infrastructure development program across the globe. This colossal program has now stretched across over 150 countries, including Indonesia. Projects under this initiative include the recently launched $7.3 billion Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway or Whoosh.

“President [Jokowi] is confirmed to attend [the Belt and Road Forum],” Lalu told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. 

“To Indonesia, this forum is related to our domestic infrastructure development. We want to build the best possible infrastructure in the country, but that would not be possible without partnering with other stakeholders, be it at home or abroad,” Lalu said.

According to Lalu, a bilateral meeting between Jokowi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is still under discussion. Jokowi is expected to bring some of his ministers and business delegates on his Beijing trip. However, Lalu did not say the names of the business delegates or ministers who would tag along with Jokowi.

The Beijing-funded Whoosh project was constructed by Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) consortium. China Development Bank’s loans covered 75 percent of the costs, while the remaining 25 percent of the financing came from the consortium’s own funds, the Associated Press reported.

Whoosh also becomes Southeast Asia's first high-speed train.

Jokowi last met Xi in person during the former's working visit to Chengdu in July. Both leaders at the time discussed economic cooperation at length, including Indonesia’s new capital project Nusantara. Jokowi also tried to nudge Xi into importing more Indonesian edible bird nests.

Xi was absent at the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta last month. Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the ASEAN gathering on his behalf.

Government data showed China was Indonesia's second-largest foreign investor in 2022. The Southeast Asian country received $8.2 billion worth of Chinese direct investment last year. Indonesia-China trade also totaled $133.6 billion over the same period with Jakarta booking a $1.9 billion deficit. 

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