Jakarta. Hong Kong trade officials hope to get more Indonesian small and medium businesses to set up shop in the Chinese city, following a campaign in Jakarta last week to drum up support for bilateral trade ties.
Vincent Lo, the chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), said his office was “very, very excited so we want to do a lot more there with Indonesia.”
“I think the big companies are already in Hong Kong, but we want to invite the SMEs because that’s going to be the future,” he told reporters in Jakarta last week.
“With [China’s One Belt, One Road] initiative, we believe Indonesia will be important, and we very much want to partner with you to drive this forward,” he added, referring to Beijing’s initiative to increase trade and investment connectivity across Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Lo also encouraged companies in Indonesia to “use Hong Kong as a springboard” to reach markets outside Indonesia and Southeast Asia, such as China, the United States and Europe.
The council opened a representative office in Jakarta in February in a move to increase cross investment and trade between Hong Kong and Indonesia.
The HKTDC’s promotional event in Jakarta last week drew 2,000 local participants and more than 200 delegations from Hong Kong. The event coincided with a visit by Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who met President Joko Widodo on Thursday to discuss trade, investment and other bilateral issues.
The Chinese special administrative region was the ninth-largest source of foreign direct investment in Indonesia, with 136 projects valued at a combined $175 million between January and June this year, according to Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Agency (BKPM).