PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) meets with Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan Perkasa Roeslani on October 12.

The PM took note of the encouraging development of Vietnam-Indonesia ties over the past time, with bilateral trade value reaching US$6.5 billion in 2017. Indonesia has more than 70 investment projects in Vietnam worth more than US$500 million.

However, the Vietnamese Government leader said the current trade and investment partnership is still modest compared to potential.

According to him, given its important role in promoting overall economic cooperation and supporting connections between businesses, the KADIN should work closely with its Vietnamese counterpart to push business links between the two countries.

He suggested that the KADIN recommended to the Indonesian Government measures to further facilitate imports from Vietnam, and improve coordination in verifying documents on origin, quality control and quarantine of agricultural and fishery products.

PM Phuc also called for more direct flights between tourist destinations of the two countries, noting that given the large populations of both countries, when only 0.5% of the population in one country travel to the other it would still be a significant number.

He asked the KADIN chairman to organize thematic conferences on tourism promotion, affirming that Vietnamese relevant agencies are ready to help with the work.

Rosan Perkasa Roeslani shared the Vietnamese PM’s view that there is room for bilateral trade and investment to expand. He said Vietnam has been successful in opening its market and attracting foreign investment, which he said can be useful experience for Indonesia.