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Joko Widodo plumps Indonesia's investment suitability during Sydney visit
WA Today - February 25, 2017
"[International ratings agencies] are raising Indonesia's outlook from stable to positive," he told a forum of business leaders at Sydney's Shangri-la hotel on Saturday afternoon. "Trust in the Indonesian [government] has jumped".
Mr Joko displayed some facility in English (opponents had questioned the proficiency, and so worldliness, of the former furniture salesman from the central Javanese city of Solo during his 2014 election campaign). But reporters were given only a moment's glimpse of discussions before they were ushered out of the room.
The President thanked assembled business leaders including those from Blackmores, Macquarie and Bluescope Steel for working on the weekend. Later on Saturday Mr Joko met with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at the same venue. On Saturday night he was scheduled for a private dinner with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at his Point Piper home.
"I look forward to my talks with President Widodo," Mr Turnbull said in a statement. "During this visit, President Widodo and I will hold our Annual Leaders' Meeting as we continue to further strengthen the Australia-Indonesia relationship."
Two-way trade with Indonesia tops $15 billion but the country remains just outside Australia's top-10 trading partners.
The pair will discuss progress on an Indonesian-Australian free trade deal set to be finalised by the end of the year, perhaps as early as August. Indonesian trade officials were in Canberra last week for the fourth round of free trade negotiations since March last year.
Mr Joko is also expected to use the visit to promote a plan to diversify Indonesian tourism exports. About 900,000 Australians visit Indonesia, mostly Bali, each year. Mr Joko has said his government plans to develop and promote another 10 Balis.
Sydney is the only stop on the President's two-day visit, the first since his 2014 ascension to the presidency of the world's largest Muslim country. "This visit is very important for us, this is a visit to a close neighbour," a spokesman for the foreign ministry, Arrmanatha Nasir, said.
Mr Joko and First Lady Iriana Widodo were greeted by Australian officials in blustery and rainy weather.
The Indonesian President will round out his visit on Sunday with meetings with the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, a trip to the koala enclosure at Taronga Zoo, and an official state lunch and ceremonial welcome with 21-gun salute.
Mr Joko was due to visit Australia last year but the trip was postponed after mass protests erupted in Jakarta over a religious controversy involving its governor and his former deputy.
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