Indonesia’s leader invites Chinese counterpart to G20 summit

Jul 25, 2022, 10:23 PM | Updated: Jul 26, 2022, 5:49 pm
In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indones...

In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, fourth left, meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fourth right, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

(Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

BEIJING (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday formally invited Xi Jinping to the Group of 20 summit in Bali this fall, although it’s unclear whether the Chinese leader would attend in person.

The invitation came during a meeting between the two in Beijing, where they discussed issues ranging from trade to maritime cooperation.

“President Xi expressed his thanks and wished complete success for the summit,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV said, without giving further details. The summit is to be held on the Indonesian resort island on Nov. 15-16.

Xi has not left China since 2019 because of the COVID-19 outbreak, choosing instead to attend major events via video. It is also unclear whether he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok shortly after the G-20 summit.

The G-20 is considered a valued grouping for China because it includes not only the rich Western countries but also the voices of major middle-income nations such as China, India and Brazil.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi have acted as Xi’s proxies over the recent years, even while China’s foreign and economic policies, including its tacit support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict, have put its relations with the U.S., Europe and other countries under heavy stress.

Indonesia and China enjoy generally positive ties, although Jakarta has expressed concern about Chinese encroachment on its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. A statement from Widodo’s office said he described China as Indonesia’s “comprehensive strategic partner.”

“We must fill this partnership with cooperation that is beneficial for our country, and at the same time for the region and the world,” the statement quoted Widodo as saying.

CCTV said the two leaders touched on cooperation battling the pandemic and committed to boosting trade and investment.

A delayed project to build a high-speed rail line from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta to the city of Bandung would be completed as scheduled and other flagship projects launched, it said.

They also agreed to speed up the formulation of a new “five-year action plan” for relations that would “better improve the well-being of the two peoples, and demonstrate greater responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and safeguarding global fairness and justice,” CCTV said.

On maritime issues, it said the sides agreed to strengthen communication and engage in fisheries cooperation to “tap the potential of the marine economy.”

The Indonesian president is one of the few foreign leaders to travel to China, which has strictly limited visitors from overseas because of the pandemic.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, fourth left, meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fourth right, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, pose for photographers with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, is shown the way by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, fourth left, meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fourth right, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, is shown the way by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, pose for photographers with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, center right, meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Widodo on Tuesday formally invited Xi Jinping to the Group of 20 summit in Bali this fall, although it's unclear whether the Chinese leader would attend in person. (Liu Weibing/Xinhua via AP)
            
              In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, pose for a photo during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Widodo on Tuesday formally invited Xi Jinping to the Group of 20 summit in Bali this fall, although it's unclear whether the Chinese leader would attend in person. (Pang Xinglei/Xinhua via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, fourth left, meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fourth right, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, pose for photographers with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, is shown the way by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, fourth left, meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fourth right, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, pose for photographers with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, is shown the way by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              In this photo released by the Press and Media Bureau of the Indonesian Presidential Palace, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during their meeting in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July, 26, 2022. Widodo arrived in Beijing on Monday night on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Japan and South Korea later this week. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
            
              The Indonesian and Chinese national flags are flown together near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, July 25, 2022. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was heading to Beijing on Monday for a rare visit by a foreign leader under China's strict COVID-19 protocols and ahead of what could be the first overseas trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
            
              The Indonesian and Chinese national flags are flown together near Mao Zedong's portrait on Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Monday, July 25, 2022. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was heading to Beijing on Monday for a rare visit by a foreign leader under China's strict COVID-19 protocols and ahead of what could be the first overseas trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Indonesia’s leader invites Chinese counterpart to G20 summit