Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 03:28 PM UTC

RI aims to complete China trade pact talks by early 2029: Hartarto

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Arnidhya, Kenzu

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the government aims to complete discussions on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Indonesia and China by early 2029.

"We hope it can be completed two years from now; so, in early 2029," Hartarto said at the ministry's office here on Thursday.

The Indonesian government will start the first CEPA discussions bilaterally with China. He previously said initial talks on forming the Indonesia-China CEPA will be held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

The step follows a meeting of officials from both countries in Beijing on September 26, 2026, which agreed to speed up preparations for negotiating the Indonesia-China CEPA (IDC-CEPA).

According to him, economic cooperation between Indonesia and China currently remains free trade under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) mechanism, which was signed in 2002.

To date, the two countries have no bilateral trade agreement, even though China is Indonesia’s largest non-oil and gas export destination.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show the Indonesia-China trade reached US$154.58 billion in 2025. Exports to China were US$67.04 billion, while imports from China were US$87.54 billion, leaving Indonesia with a US$20.5 billion deficit.

With the Indonesia-China CEPA, Hartarto said the cooperation will be expanded beyond tariffs to include investment between the two countries.

Previously, Indonesia and China have agreed to expedite preparations for negotiations on the IDC-CEPA to broaden market access and deepen bilateral economic cooperation.

Deputy for Economic Cooperation and Investment at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Edi Prio Pambudi, said the CEPA is expected to strengthen economic ties between the two countries by prioritizing complementary cooperation.

"Now, it is the right moment for Indonesia and China to strengthen economic relations through the CEPA. We want the CEPA to prioritize complementary cooperation, not competition, so that both parties can benefit," Pambudi said on September 30.

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