JAILOLO BAY'S EXOTIC MARINE SCENERY AWAIT DIVING LOVERS by Johnny Tarigan and Fardah

      Jakarta, March 31, 2012 (ANTARA) - Colorful and enchanting coral reefs in various sizes are decorating the undersea scenery of Jailolo Bay marine park, which is also home to many endemic marine biota.
     Located in West Halmahera District, North Maluku Province, Jailolo Bay has crystal clear waters with a visibility of up to 30 meters deep, and offers miles of spectacular coral reefs which are often called "the rain forests of the ocean" because it holds various marine flora and fauna species.

SEEKING CLOSER TIES BETWEEN NINGXIA AND INDONESIA by Fardah

       Jakarta, March 28, 2012 (ANTARA) - Located in northwest China and crossed by the Yellow River, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is the home of China`s Hui Muslim minority, which accounts for some 36 percent of the province`s total population. 

      In the past, Ningxia served as a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and Arabic cultures. Ningxia has been designated by the Chinese central government as a production base for Muslim food because of its local resources and large Muslim community.

CHINA WANTS RI AS ITS LARGEST ASEAN TRADE PARTNER by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 27, 2012 (ANTARA) - China, one of the world`s economic engines, hopes that one day Indonesia becomes its largest trade partner in the Southeast Asian region, moving up from its current fourth rank after Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
     Since the two nations declared a strategic partnership in Jakarta in 2005, China and Indonesia have been witnessing rapid growth in bilateral trade and economic ties.

Telaah - Semakin relevan untuk belajar dari China oleh Fardah

      Jakarta, 23 Maret 2012  (ANTARA) - Nabi Muhammad SAW konon pernah menganjurkan umat Islam untuk mencari ilmu bahkan jika harus merantau ke negeri sejauh China.
      Hanya beberapa tahun setelah Rasululah wafat, Khalifah Usman bin Affan mengutus sahabat Saad bin Abi Waqash ke China atau Tiongkok untuk menyebarkan ajaran Islam di masa pemerintahan Zhenguan (627-649), di awal dinasti Tang.
       Umat Islam bisa berziarah ke makam Abi Waqash di Guangzhou, Provinsi Guangdong, yang dulu disebut Kwangtung atau Kanton, yang terletak di China bagian selatan. Di Guangzhou, juga terdapat mesjid agung tertua di China yang dinamakan Huai Sheng, yang artinya "untuk mengenang Nabi SAW".

Pumpunan - TIGA "G" JADI LANDASAN HUBUNGAN RI-TIONGKOK Oleh: Fardah

     Jakarta, 22/3/2012 (ANTARA) - Menjelang kedatangan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono di Beijing, Pemerintah Tiongkok makin menegaskan hubungannya yang erat dengan Indonesia dan dukungan kuatnya untuk membantu pembangunan di Indonesia.
      Tiongkok atau China menganggap Indonesia sebagai "3 G", yaitu `good friend, good neighbor and good partner` (teman baik, tetangga yang baik dan mitra yang baik), yang mempunyai peran penting di wilayah Asia, terutama ASEAN, kata Wakil Menteri Luar Negeri Tiongkok Fu Ying, kepada sejumlah wartawan Indonesia, di Beijing, pada 13 Maret, 2012.

RI, CHINA TIES BASED ON THREE Gs by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 21, 2012 (ANTARA) - The Chinese government is gearing up to receive President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his upcoming state visit to Beijing, which is expected to add greater depth to the good bilateral relations between Indonesia and China.
     China considers Indonesia to be a good friend, good neighbor and good partner (3 Gs) that plays a strong role in the region, said Fu Ying, China`s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Indonesian journalists in Beijing on March 13, 2012.

Guangdong ingin perluas kerja sama dengan Indonesia

    Guangzhou, 19 Maret 2012 (ANTARA News) - Guangdong, provinsi yang terletak di selatan China, menyatakan minatnya untuk memperluas kerja sama terutama di bidang perdagangan dan ekonomi dengan Indonesia.
     "Kami bersedia untuk memperluas kerja sama di bidang perdagangan dan ekonomi dengan Indonesia", Li Jian, Deputi Direktur Jenderal Kantor Luar Negeri Pemerintah Provinsi Guangdong, mengatakan kepada beberapa wartawan Indonesia, di Guangzhou, Senin.

GUANGDONG READY TO INTENSIFY COOPERATION WITH INDONESIA

        Guangzhou, March 19, 2012 (ANTARA) - Southern China`s Guangdong Province is eager to expand cooperation with Indonesia especially in the trade and economic fields, a Chinese official said.
        "We are ready to intensify cooperation in the trade and economic fields with Indonesia," Li Jian, the Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Provincial Administration`s Foreign Affairs Office, told several Indonesian journalists here, Monday.

NINGXIA INGINKAN KOTA KEMBAR DENGAN INDONESIA

      Yinchuan, Ningxia, 15/3, 2012 (ANTARA) - Pemerintah Daerah Otonomi Hui Ningxia di barat laut China, menginginkan ibukotanya, Yinchuan, dapat menjalin kerja sama kota kembar (sister city) dengan salah satu kota di Indonesia.
        "Atas nama Kantor Urusan Luar Negeri Ningxia, kami sangat mengharapkan hubungan `sister city` dengan salah satu kota di Indonesia," Zhang Yexing, wakil Direktur Jenderal Kantor Urusan Luar Negeri Daerah Otonomi Hui Ningxia, kepada sejumlah wartawan Indonesia, di Yinchuan, Kamis.

INDONESIA SEES CHINA AS OPPORTUNITY: ENVOY

      Beijing, March 15, 2012 (ANTARA) - Indonesian Ambassador to China Imran Cotan has said that Indonesia sees China, one of the world`s economic locomotives, as opportunity, and not a challenge.
       "Many countries see China as a beautiful and rich lady, and therefore every country wants to have special relations with China. It`s not surprise that there is no day without a visit by foreign high ranking officials in China," Ambassador Imran told a number of Indonesia`s journalists here, Wednesday.

CHINA'S NINGXIA PROVINCE WANTS TO HAVE SISTER CITY COOPERATION WITH

1.      Yinchuan, Ningxia, March 15 (ANTARA) - Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China wants its capital city of Yinchuan to establish sister city cooperation with an Indonesian city, a Ningxia official said.
           "On behalf of Ningxia`s foreign affairs office, we express our desire to establish sister city cooperation with one of Indonesia`s city," Zhang Yexing, the vice director general of Ningxia`s foreign affairs office, told Indonesia`s journalists here on Thursday.

DUBES RI: PERDAGANGAN RI-CHINA MENINGKAT

      Beijing, 14/3/2012 (ANTARA) - Dubes RI untuk China Imran Cotan mengatakan nilai perdagangan Indonesia dan China meningkat pesat terutama sejak Deklarasi Bersama Kemitraan Strategis oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dan Presiden China Hu Jintao di Jakarta, April 2005.
       "Fondasi hubungan kedua negara semakin diperkokoh dengan ditandatanganinya Plan of Action kemitrraan Strategis pada tahun 2010, Joint Communique oleh Presiden Yudhoyono dan PM Wen Jiabao pada 2011 di Jakarta, dan kunjungan Presiden RI ke RRT pada akhir bulan ini," kata Dubes Imran kepada beberapa wartawan Indonesia di Beijing, Rabu.

DUBES RI: INDONESIA PANDANG CHINA SEBAGAI PELUANG

       Beijing, 14/3 (ANTARA) - Dubes RI untuk China Imran Cotan mengatakan bahwa Indonesia memandang China, yang kini merupakan lokomotif ekonomi dunia, sebagai peluang (opportunity) dan bukan tantangan (challenge).

       "Banyak negara lain yang melihat China sebagai gadis cantik yang kaya, jadi mereka semua ingin mempunyai hubungan yang khusus dengan China. Oleh karena itu tak heran jika tidak ada hari tanpa kunjungan pejabat penting dari berbagai negara ke China," ujar Dubes Imran kepada sejumlah wartawan Indonesia di Beijing, Rabu.

PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO'S VISIT TO STRENGTHEN TIES: CHINA OFFICIAL

      Beijing, March 13, 2012 (ANTARA) - China is looking forward to the upcoming state visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and believes it will strengthen the already-sound bilateral relations between the two countries, a Chinese official said.
        "The state visit of President Yudhoyono is very important and will give a strong push to the bilateral relations between China and Indonesia", China`s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Fu Ying, told Indonesian journalists here, Tuesday.

CHINA: KUNJUNGAN PRESIDEN SBY PERKUAT HUBUNGAN BILATERAL

       Beijing, 13/3/2012 (ANTARA) - Kunjungan kenegaraan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ke Beijing, China, pada 22-24 Meret 2012 akan memberi dorongan kuat bagi hubungan bilateral yang erat antara China dan Indonesia, kata Wakil Menteri Luar Negeri China Fu Ying.
       "Kami sangat menantikan kunjungan Presiden Yudhoyono. Beliau sudah berkunjung lima kali ke China, dan ini kunjungan kenegaraan ke-2, sangat penting," kata Wamenlu Fu Ying kepada rombongan wartawan dari Indonesia di Beijing, Selasa.

Indonesia to have more internationally accredited hospitals by 2014 by Fardah

      Jakarta, March 10, 2012 (ANTARA News) - There is no doubt that only the haves could afford placing obituary ads in newspapers. And from these obituaries, it becomes obvious that most of these people died in overseas hospitals.
      Many wealthy Indonesians spend trillions of rupiah each year on medical treatment abroad, such as in Singapore, Malaysia, United States, Australia and Germany, despite the fact that Indonesia has some 1,800 hospitals.

RI SMELLS BUSINESS COMPETITION BEHIND EPA'S CPO RULING by Fardah

    Jakarta, March 5, 2012 (ANTARA) - Indonesia as one of the world`s largest oil palm producers is quite often boycotted under the pretext that its oil palm plantations are not friendly to the environment.
    But some parties in Indonesia see the boycotts as actually a bad strategy of business competitions or pressure to force Indonesia to lower its crude palm oil (CPO) prices.

LABOR PROBLEMS CONTINUE AT FREEPORT DESPITE END OF STRIKE by Fardah

     Jakarta, March 3, 2012 (ANTARA) - The end of a three-month workers`strike at PT Freeport Indonesia in December 2011 apparently does not mean that the company`s operations would resume normally or
peacefully.
     In October 2011, a number of employees of the US gold and copper mining company operating in Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua Province, began a strike to demand a salary hike.