TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi and Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, on September 9 to 10, 2023.

Zulkifli Hasan or Zulhas said the meeting discussed France’s plans and commitments including the investment in Indonesia’s new capital city project IKN and energy transition projects. “Indonesia hopes that this plan will soon be realized,” he said in a statement on Sunday, September 10.

He recalled that in June 2023, the French Ambassador to Indonesia and a French business delegation visited IKN in East Kalimantan which resulted in four Letters of Intent (LoI) to support the project development.

During the meeting, Indonesia also asked for France’s support for Indonesia’s application to become a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). President Jokowi said that this is Indonesia’s effort to become a developed country.

From January to July 2023, the total trade value between Indonesia and France reached US$1.55 billion. Of this value, Indonesia’s exports to France amounted to US$ 547 million, while imports hit US$999 million.

The trade value from January to July 2023 increased by 10.74 percent compared to the same period in 2022, which amounted to US$1.40 billion. Indonesia’s export products to France include electrical transformers, vehicle parts and accessories, electrical equipment to replace or protect electrical circuits, petroleum gas and other gases, as well as palm oil and its fractions.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s imported products from France are perfume, whey protein, and other products made from milk, travel goods, human and animal vaccines, and medicines.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI