China-ASEAN expo seminar held to promote investment in Indonesia

NANNING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- A seminar for investment in Indonesia was held Friday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Nearly 100 enterprises and chambers of commerce from Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi participated in the event.

Ikmal Lukman, deputy chairman of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, said at the meeting that various reform measures had been taken to provide with convenience for Chinese investors who set up businesses in Indonesia.

An online single submission (OSS) system was launched last year by the Indonesian government, which integrated the resources of the central and local governments and allowed investors to apply for relevant licenses on one single platform.

"I believe it will save investors a lot of time," Lukman said.

Indonesia has been working on improving its policies on foreign investment since 2009, Lukman said, noting that the country was more investor-friendly in terms of tax deduction and exemption on import goods.

Huang Weimin from the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, said that the seminar was the first of a series of activities that will be held by Indonesia as the Country of Honor for the 16th China-ASEAN Expo, to be held from Sept. 20 to 23 in Nanning.

The seminar focused on promoting investment cooperation between the two sides in the fields of industrial parks, infrastructure, manufacturing and agriculture, Huang said.

China is the largest trading partner of Indonesia, with bilateral trade reaching 77.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, according to the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Guangzhou.