Indonesia Should Participate In China's Obor Initiative: Diplomat

JAKARTA, April 25 (Antara) - The Indonesian government should soon participate in the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative that was introduced by China, a diplomat aid. "It is time for the government to be more active in responding to the OBOR initiative," Dino Patti Djalal, who is the founder of Foreign Policy Community Indonesia (FPCI), said after a seminar themed Garuda and the Dragon: The Evolving Relationship between Indonesia and China in Jakarta on Tuesday. The OBOR initiative was introduced by China in Oct 2013 and was focused on advancing connectivity between China and a number of countries in the Eurasian region both through land and sea routes. The initiative consists of two main trade routes, including the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt and sea-based Maritime Silk Road. Djalal, who is also the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that the initiative that was coined by President Xi Jinping serves as an opportunity for Indonesia to boost its economic and infrastructure growth. "The Silk Road path has been forgotten for hundreds of years. Now since the potentials for connectivity are back, there are also opportunities for growth," he remarked. Furthermore, Djalal believed that the initiative can also support President Joko Widodo's vision to turn Indonesia into a global maritime axis. "I think that the initiative is relevant to Indonesia, as it can make us one of the maritime fulcrums in the Asia Pacific region," he noted. However, it is important for the Indonesian government to clarify from the very beginning that this would be an economic cooperation, he added. "It needs to be clear that this is an economic partnership and that there should not be any political appropriations. It can be written on the agreements as well. Basically, we need to take part and play our role, but we should also be involved in forming the regulations," he reiterated. Besides Djalal, the discussion also featured Director General for Asia Pacific and Africa from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Desra Percaya, Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Phillips Vermonte, and senior journalist Rene Pattiradjawane as key speakers.