Indonesia Has Asked China to Also Provide a Visa-Free facility

Jakarta (Antara Bali ) - Indonesia has asked China to also provide a visa-free facility for Indonesians visiting that country.

"The number of visitors to the two countries is expected to reach 10 millions a year. In view of that I appeal to the Chinese government to also give a visa-free facility to Indonesian visitors to China," President Joko Widodo said at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People here on Thursday.

President Jokowi as he is also known said he made the request because Indonesia has also given the same facility to the Chinese who wish to visit Indonesia.

He said it was necessary to provide the facility as one of concrete actions to realize bilateral cooperation between the two countries and to ease people wishing to visit the country to in turn boost exchange of visitors.

President Jokowi said in the context of bilateral relations Indonesia and China would conduct cooperation in corruption eradication and improvement of welfare and quality of life of the people in the two countries.

"Indonesia hopes a number of targets in the cooperation between Indonesia and China could be achieved through three agendas," he said.

The first agenda was he hoped his visit to China would be able to support the implementation of currency swap agreement.

The second agenda would be meeting the trade target at US$150 billion by 2020 while the third one was boosting tourists' visits to reach 10 million a year.

"With the clear targets the two countries would prove comprehensive, real and concrete partnership," he said.

On the occasion President Xi Jinping said China had been resolved to continue increasing relations in the social and cultural fields including meeting the target of tourist visits with Indonesia.

"We view Indonesia as a strategic, new economic power that would complete China economically and mutually beneficially," he said. (WDY)