Minister says Indonesia's maritime vision can be well-matched

Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said here on Monday that his country's new maritime vision could dovetail with China's "Belt and Road" initiative.

"The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Indonesia's Global Maritime Axis can be well-matched," Arief told Xinhua on the sidelines of an ASEAN development forum in Hong Kong.

The Indonesian government is focusing on the development of infrastructure, which the minister believes, has obstructed the country's tourism. "We are expanding and building 20 airports," he said, noting that the archipelago country with 18,000 islands will have 15 new airports in the next five years.

In his speech delivered at the forum, the minister said as the World's Maritime Axis, Indonesia is also developing marine destinations as well as improving its seaport facilities to cater the international cruise ships and yachts.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is aimed at reviving the ancient trade routes that span Asia, Africa and Europe.

Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is determined to transform the nation into a Global Maritime Axis given its geographical position which is located between two continents and two oceans.

Echoing Arief's comments, Indonesian Ambassador Soegeng Rahardjo said the alignment of China's "Belt and Road" initiative and Indonesia's maritime connectivity vision would be complementary. "The two visions proposed by President Xi and President Widodo are synergy and complementary to each other," the ambassador told Xinhua during the forum.

Indonesia and China should develop their maritime cooperation focused on sea transportation, and build other growth centers, such as the industrial park and the special economic zone, he believed.

"How we develop the good idea in concrete programs is important for both countries," Soegeng said. The 2nd ASEAN development forum, with the theme of "Connectivity through Interactions between Regions, Industries and Civil Societies," was hosted by the Asia Pacific Daily.