Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed the hope that Taiwan could play a major role in developing Morotai Island, high-level government officials said Oct. 11.
Yudhoyono went through channels to communicate the idea to ROC Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang, who visited Indonesia recently with a trade delegation, the officials said.
They revealed that Indonesian ministerial-level officials would visit Taiwan later this month to discuss details of the plan. Taiwan is also slated to send officials to Morotai to examine the situation and assess the investment potential on the 2,400-square-kilometer island, they said.
Morotai is located to the northeast of Halmahera, the largest island of the Maluku archipelago in eastern Indonesia.
It is hoped that concrete details of the planned investment projects will be announced early next year, the officials added.
Shih led a delegation of 107 representatives from 36 Taiwan enterprises on a visit to Indonesia Sept. 30 to explore large-scale investment opportunities in the country.
The visit drew the attention of local media outlets, including the English-language dailies the Jakarta Post and the Jakarta Globe, and was reported on by international wire services.
While in Indonesia, Shih told reporters that Indonesia is a major investment destination for Taiwan in Southeast Asia. He noted that total Taiwan investment in the country had reached US$14 billion as of June this year.
MOEA officials stated that Indonesia is among Asian countries, including mainland China and Vietnam, that Taiwan is targeting for greater investment. Industries that Taiwan is seeking to invest in there include the automobile, bicycle, machinery, textile, shoe manufacturing and electronics sectors, they said. (SB)