COOPERATION IN DIGITAL ECONOMY HIGHLIGHTS CELEBRATION OF RISING 50 by Fardah

  Jakarta, Sept 9, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia and Singapore have just celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two immediate neighboring countries in a special occasion themed "Trusted Partners, RISING Together" held in Singapore on Sept 7, 2017. 
      RISING is an amalgamation of "RI" for the Republic of Indonesia and "SING" for Singapore. The two nations established formal diplomatic ties on Sept 7, 1967.

           To mark the commemoration of the golden jubilee of the bilateral relations, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong planted a Sunda oak tree, dubbed the "RISING tree," in the Singapore Botanical Gardens' Learning Forest. The tree is native to both Singapore and Indonesia.

        Accompanied by their spouses, Jokowi and Lee also had morning walk and breakfast in the garden.

          They later left the botanical garden for the Singaporean Presidential Palace for a formal meeting, flanked by their respective delegations.  
    A commemorative stamp set featuring coral reefs from both countries was also launched. The stamps were unveiled at the Palace by Lee and Jokowi.

         During bilateral talks, the two leaders discussed  efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in investment, tourism, energy, and digital economic during the meeting.

          Singapore is Indonesia's biggest investor and source of tourists, with the number of Singaporean visitors to the country reaching 1.5 million in 2015, while Singapore's investment in the year was recorded at US$5.9 billion.

              Singapore has agreed to increase its investment and tourist visits to Indonesia and closer cooperation in the framework of bilateral or regional within ASEAN and multilateral cooperation.

         "Singapore continues to double its investment, from $5.9 billion in 2015 to $9.2 billion in 2016," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi stated.

         Jokowi and Lee agreed to renew the bilateral investment treaty (BIT) that had expired this year.

            "As the old BIT had ended, the two leaders conceded to renegotiate a new agreement," Marsudi stated, while adding that Singapore has improved the status of its two representative offices to honorary consulates in Medan, North Sumatra Province, and Batam Island. 
   Following the Leader's Retreat to mark five decades of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Singapore, the leaders of both nations agree to intensify cooperation in the digital economy.

          "Different from last year's meeting that focused on the Industrial Park in Kendal District, Central Java Province, the two leaders this year highlighted the importance of maintaining collaboration in the field of digital economy. The two countries had earlier launched a coding competition aimed at showcasing the young talent in this field," Marsudi noted in a recorded statement.

           The minister noted that the online business in Indonesia is forecast to generate some $130 billion.

            "The president (of Indonesia) has presented our plan to create 1 thousand technopreneurs in 2019 and to continue to develop digital talent, including start-ups. Indonesia has designated Batam Island (in Riau Islands Province) as a hub for the digital economy sector. We are now developing the Nongsa Digital Parks in the island as well as an incubator block," Marsudi noted.     
      In order to improve the welfare of the people, Jokowi and Lee believed that further cooperation should promote the inclusivity principle, mainly in the economic sector.

           The minister noted that during the meeting, state-owned electricity company, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), and Singapore's Keppel O&M, Pavilion, had also inked an agreement in the energy development sector. 

      Jokowi and Lee witnessed the signing of several MOUs on education and disaster risk management.

             Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Singapore's Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung signed the MOU on education and vocational training cooperation.

          The MOU on education cooperation was signed by Indonesian Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy and Singapore's Basic Education Minister Ng Chee Meng.

         Indonesian Technology Research and Higher Education M Nasir and Ong Ye Kung signed MOU on higher education cooperation.

            The MOU on disaster risk management was signed by Chairman of the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei and Commissioner of Singapore Civil Defense Force Eric Yap.

            Following the signing of the MOUs, Jokowi and Lee attended a joint press conference. Jokowi invited Singapore investors to invest in Indonesia's two growing sectors, namely digital economy and tourism.

            "To date, eight of the world's 13 largest companies are engaged in the technological field. Of course, this is a historic opportunity in the current digital revolution," Jokowi stated in his keynote address to Indonesia-Singapore Business Forum at Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore on Sept 7.    
  According to the president, Indonesia is currently enjoying a period of robust e-commerce industry and digital start-ups, with a total value of an estimated $1 billion.

          "In view of our large domestic market, such companies will still emerge in the years to come. Hence, we must rearrange relations between Indonesia and Singapore to respond to the digital revolution," he noted.

         The Indonesian city of Batam, which is close to Singapore, must be able to supply digital products to the island state, he remarked.

          Batam is expected to serve as a digital bridge to link Singapore to other digital communities in various Indonesian cities, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Bali, in future, he explained.

            In the tourism field, the president revealed that both countries have an equal chance as a result of a surge in the number of middle-class people in China, India, and some countries in Asia and the Pacific, he stated.

            "As a result of the booming tourism industry, Indonesia has introduced a program called "Ten New Bali," he added.

            He expressed hope that Singapore, which is a hub for regional airlines, will serve as a gateway for foreign tourists to visit Indonesia.

            "In the next 12 months, airports near Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Labuan Bajo, Komodo Island will be upgraded to international airports," he revealed.

           Singapore and Indonesia will work together to develop joint tourism destinations, cooperate on operating cruise ships and cruise ship harbor construction, and increase investment in tourism infrastructure, Jokowi remarked. ***3***  
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 09-09-2017