Chinese, Indonesian presidents agree to lift ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

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Chinese, Indonesian presidents agree to lift ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

(Xinhua) 10:40, October 03, 2013

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, agreed here Wednesday to lift bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In his talks with Yudhoyono, Xi also proposed to establish an Asian infrastructure investment bank in order to promote interconnectivity and economic integration in the region.

Both China and Indonesia are major developing countries and important emerging market economies with regional and global influence, noted the Chinese president.

The two countries pursue similar development goals, share extensive common interests in safeguarding regional prosperity and stability, and have a lot of common language on international affairs, Xi said, adding that their relations are reflected not only at the bilateral level, but also at regional and global levels.

Meanwhile, the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has scored fruitful achievements and enjoys a promising prospect, said the Chinese president.

Noting that profound and complicated changes are taking place in global and regional landscapes, Xi pointed out that it is an inevitable choice for the two countries to further strengthen their strategic cooperation.

China regards Indonesia as a priority in its diplomacy with neighboring countries, and stands ready to comprehensively deepen bilateral cooperation so as to realize common development for the benefit of both peoples, Xi said.

Deepening bilateral cooperation, he added, will also help maintain the long-term prosperity and stability in Asia, boost unity and cooperation among developing countries and promote world peace and development.

For his part, Yudhoyono said Indonesia-China ties have been developing rapidly since the two countries forged a strategic partnership in 2005.

With both China's national strength and its international status on the rise, it is of vital importance to the region and the world at large that China maintains stability and development, added the Indonesian leader.

Indonesia, he said, attaches great importance to its ties with China and hopes to seize the opportunity of the establishment of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to further boost cooperation between the two countries.

The Chinese president arrived here earlier Wednesday for a two-day state visit to the Southeast Asian country. Then he will visit Malaysia before traveling to the Indonesian resort island of Bali for the 21st informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.