President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo salutes on March 4, 2024, as he departs for Australia from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta, to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)

During a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday discussed possible bilateral efforts to increase trade and investment, as well as rice imports, as ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Phnom Penh.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia special summit in Melbourne, where Jokowi is also slated to conduct bilateral talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Ahead of the 65th anniversary of the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Cambodia, Jokowi expressed his eagerness to boost cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure, specifically through the air and sea sectors, according to a press release from the Presidential Secretariat.

Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are ready to contribute to Cambodia’s railway and infrastructure sectors, Jokowi said.

“We need to continue encouraging interaction between business sectors to strengthen trade and investment.”

According to data from the Foreign Ministry, Indonesia is Cambodia’s 16th largest investor, and focuses mostly on the garment, hospitality and telecommunication sectors.

Despite Cambodia’s agricultural industry potential, there was “very little potential cooperation” between the two countries, the ministry data said, given that Cambodia was “still developing its infrastructure, especially roads, to enhance connectivity”.

Published Date: March 5, 2024