The Indonesian government has expressed the hope that 2019 will bring their nation a step closer to strengthening its trade with Africa, and especially South Africa, when it hosts the Indonesian-African Infrastructure Dialogue in Bali.
The Indonesian ambassador to South Africa, Salman Al Farisi, recently said the two countries share the same desire and aspiration for freedom and democracy.
Relations between the two countries have existed for decades. Even with a long history of mutual assistance and support between the two countries, the Indonesian government has expressed its wish to expand to other areas such as economic co-operation, trade and investment.
During a visit to Indonesia, facilitated by the Indonesian government and its embassy in Pretoria, the country’s foreign affairs department director-general Daniel Simanjuntak said they would like to see more trade with South Africa. Speaking during a media briefing in the capital Jakarta last month, he said Indonesia hoped to attract more trade.
This will be a main focus during the Indonesian-African Infrastructure Dialogue it will host around August or September. Simanjuntak cited high import tariffs imposed by South Africa as an impediment to good economic relations.
The Indonesian government would also like to see South Africa relaxing its visa requirements. While South Africans can travel visa free to Indonesia, Indonesia does not enjoy the same benefits. South Africans can travel to Indonesia for up to 30 days without a visa. Indonesians, however, said it was often very difficult to obtain a visa to enter South Africa.
Iol.co.za reported how last year, the Indonesian government also granted South Africa an additional three-year period to export horticultural products through Jakarta’s port of entry until April 11, 2021. This was in relation to 14 South African export products, which include apples, citrus fruit, pears and peaches. While Nigeria is the biggest African trade partner with Indonesia, South Africa is second. South Africa is also Indonesia’s second-biggest export destination after Egypt.
