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China congratulates new Indonesian President
July 23, 2014, 6:11 am

Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo (L) and his running partner Jusuf Kalla gesture at Sunda Kelapa Port in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, July 22, 2014 [Xinhua]

Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo (L) and his running partner Jusuf Kalla gesture at Sunda Kelapa Port in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, July 22, 2014 [Xinhua]

China has congratulated Joko Widodo and his running-mate Jusuf Kalla on winning the Indonesian presidential election.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Indonesia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday, noting the current state of their current bilateral relationship is the best in history.

China is looking forward to making joint efforts with the new Indonesian leaders to take the partnership to a new level, he said.

China is Indonesia’s second-largest trading partner and signed a $16bn currency swap agreement last year.

Widodo, the governor of capital Jakarta, won the presidential election with 53.15 per cent of the vote, Indonesia’s General Election Commission said on Tuesday.

In October last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping had given a speech to Indonesia’s parliament – the first foreign leader to do so. The two neighbours also inked trade agreements totalling at least $28 billion between Chinese and Indonesian companies.

Indonesia is playing a key role in drafting a proposed code of conduct for handling territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

 

 TBP and Agencies