Indonesia, South Africa seek cooperation opportunities
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said
on September 23 that he explored opportunities for cooperation with South
Africa while meeting with Minister for Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel at the G20 Trade, Investment, and Industry
Ministerial Meeting.
The two ministers discussed various aspects of
potential cooperation, including mineral and coal, as well as efforts to cut
dependence on fossil fuels according to the global agreement to reduce exhaust
emissions and the impact of climate change.
During the meeting, Hartarto remarked that the
transition to low-carbon energy is an important aspect to achieve climate
resilience that supports the environment and creates more job opportunities.
He stated that Indonesia's energy transition
efforts to become environmentally friendly were made through various national
policies, such as the use of electric-based vehicles by supporting the
development of electric vehicle batteries using the country's raw materials,
such as nickel.
In addition, Indonesia, through its cooperation
with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is preparing strategic steps for phasing
down the use of coal-based power plants in terms of funding in line with the
energy transition mechanism.
Patel, for his part, said the two countries
have experience in managing the mining industry and processing raw materials,
such as bauxite, copper, and aluminum.
Apart from discussing energy and mining
cooperation, the discussion also focused on potential for cooperation
in the halal and automotive industry and its components.
In the January-July period, two-way trade hit 2.06 billion
USD, up 46.92% from the same period last year./.