Beijing (Antara Babel) - At the Yangqi Lake International Conference Center here, Monday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will highlight intensifying "people-to-people" contacts under the "Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation" (BRF) scheme.
Apart from improving collaboration with the summit's member countries, Jokowi, along with leaders and heads of international organizations from 29 countries, will also discuss ways to synergize policies and strengthen connectivity.
Dressed in a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, Jokowi arrived at the venue at 9:20 a.m. local time, later followed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The forum, organized by the Chinese government, is being held in Beijing, the country's capital city, on May 14-16.
In his opening remarks, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that the forum is a renewal of the Silk Road and Maritime Belt initiatives for countries in the Indian Ocean.
Jinping further stated that more inclusive cooperation has to be supported by strong connectivity among the member countries.
Hence, he noted that a stable and secure region is necessary to maintain robust cooperation in the economy sector.
During today's event, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde as well as some leaders from Argentina, Belarus, Chile, and the Czech Republic were spotted attending the round-table summit.
Other leaders from several countries, including Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, the Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, Spain, and Sri Lanka, also participated in the forum.
Earlier on May 14, Jokowi and Jinping discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the economy sector, including in some infrastructure projects in North Sulawesi Province, North Sumatra Province, and South Kalimantan Province.
On Sunday, China's official news agency Xinhua said the two presidents agreed that Indonesia and China have a special connection, with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
"I had proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road for the first time when I delivered a speech in Indonesia in October 2013. The alignment of the proposal with Indonesia's Global Maritime Fulcrum has enriched bilateral ties," Jinping said as quoted by Xinhua.
Besides Jinping, earlier on Sunday, Jokowi also held some bilateral meetings with Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, IMF Director Lagarde, the director of Chinese multinational power company Shanghai Electric, and Tsinghua Qiu Yong University's rector.
Jokowi, who has already stayed in Beijing for three days, will return to Indonesia this evening on Monday.
