By “It must provide economic benefits; must be done equally and inclusively; pay attention to sustainability aspects; and support from human resource development and technology transfer,” he said during a High-Level Forum held as part of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Wednesday.
The High-Level Forum raised the theme “Connectivity in an Open Global Academy.”
The President said he considers the four aspects as the basis for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation for developing connectivity.
“We hope BRI can become a solution to develop connectivity and contribute to peace in the region for the sake of mutual prosperity,” he added.
He then listed a number of measures carried out in Indonesia over the past nine years to improve connectivity.
“Indonesia believes that connectivity is the path to prosperity. Therefore, over the last nine years, we have built more than two thousand kilometers of toll roads, and also non-toll roads, new ports, and new airports,” he informed.
Besides developing large infrastructure, the government has built connectivity through the construction of small infrastructures spread across all villages in the country, he noted.
“There are more than 320 thousand kilometers of village roads and 1.7 million meters of bridges. We also continue to expand digital connectivity to reach the outermost areas or borders,” he added.
According to him, connectivity infrastructure needs to be developed in Indonesia since the country has 17 thousand islands and also to accommodate health and education needs.
“All of these efforts are expected to boost Indonesia’s economic competitiveness and investment, as well as being a foundation for strong and sustainable growth,” Widodo said.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, interim Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment as well as State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan, and Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun, accompanied the President at the event.
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