The Chinese government has committed to supporting the free nutritious meal program being prepared by the administration of President Prabowo Subianto. The funding will be channeled through the "Food Supplementation and School Feeding Programme in Indonesia."

This commitment was announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indonesia and China, witnessed by President Prabowo and President Xi Jinping.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, highlighted that China, which will support this key Indonesian government initiative, has already implemented a similar free meal policy for its people.

“Yes, they (the Chinese government) will support it, as they have already implemented nutritious meal programs here,” Airlangga told reporters at the Peninsula Hotel, Beijing, as quoted on Tuesday, November 12.

The Indonesia-China business forum this time brought together entrepreneurs from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and their Chinese counterparts.

During his visit to China, President Prabowo secured an investment commitment of USD 10.07 billion, equivalent to IDR 157.64 trillion. This collaboration involves business actors from both countries.

The entrepreneurs also agreed on several cooperation agreements in the fields of food and energy security. There are plans for downstream processing of 26 key domestic commodities and advancements in science and technology.

Indonesia and China also signed seven bilateral cooperation agreements, witnessed by Prabowo and Xi Jinping. The signing ceremony took place in one of the rooms at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday, November 9.

The cooperation agreements between Indonesia and China include:

1. Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Fresh Coconut from Indonesia to China;

2. Technical Work Guidelines for Promoting Sustainable Fisheries;

3. Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Blue Economy Cooperation;

4. Memorandum of Understanding on Mineral Resources Cooperation;

5. Memorandum of Understanding on Green Minerals Cooperation;

6. Memorandum of Understanding on Water Resources Cooperation; and

7. Memorandum of Understanding on Conformity Assessment Cooperation.

Original article here

This article is published in partnership with Katadata.