Indonesia seeks Chinese investment and tech

Indonesia welcomes investment and technology from China, and Chinese companies are set to profit a lot from the Indonesia market, an Indonesian tycoon told a visiting Chinese entrepreneur delegation Monday in Jakarta.

Although rich in natural resources, Indonesia lags behind in technology and hopes Chinese companies will bring advanced technology to this country, said Tomy Winata, owner of the Artha Graha conglomerate, which is involved in property, banking, logistics and agriculture.

"There will be a broad prospect for Chinese investors in Indonesia, too, as it's still a very young country with abundant opportunities, sound economic fundamentals, cultural diversity and high level of openness," he told the Aigo Entrepreneur Alliance, comprised of 100 Chinese private companies.

"[The] road infrastructure sector, for example, is open to foreign capital," said Winata, revealing that the Artha Graha group is also the lead developer of an ambitious, government-backed plan to build what will be the world's longest bridge, spanning the 29-kilometer Sunda Strait.

Twenty international investment agencies, half of which are from China, are willing to co-invest in this project, said Winata.

Chinese capital and products indeed raised worries of some, but that's just a small portion of the Indonesian people, he noted, "Indonesia offers equal treatment to all investors and warmly welcomes Chinese involvement in its economy."

"The prospect of cooperation is promising, but if you just want to buy resources, the probability of success will be greatly reduced. You need to find a proper industry," Guo said.

He suggests that Chinese companies invest in Indonesia's culture and tourism sectors, which have lower entry barriers.

He also promises to provide favorable office leases for members of the Aigo Entrepreneur Alliance.

Feng Jun, co-founder of the alliance, calls for more Chinese companies to come to Indonesia to promote Chinese brands and products, create job opportunities for local people, and boost the economic development of Indonesia.

Indonesia is the second stop for Aigo Enterpreneurs Alliance's ASEAN tour. The entrepreneurs visited Thailand and will head for Singapore and Malaysia in the week-long tour to choose two countries from the four to set up their bases in Southeast Asia.

Aiming to help Chinese enterprises and brands extend their reaches around the globe, the Aigo Enterpreneurs Alliance members will visit countries such as the US and Latin American countries in the future to get to know their investment environment and establish more overseas bases.