President Jokowi Did "Sales Pitch" before Dozens of Japanese CEOs

TheIndonesia.id - President Joko Widodo assured several CEOs of Japanese companies he met at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, that Indonesia is one of the best investment places.

"I really appreciate the quality of Japanese investment. However, I also hope that Japanese investors will consider their competitiveness, so they can compete with other investors in Indonesia," the President said in a statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

"In short, (Indonesia has) good quality, competitive prices. That's what we expect and I believe Indonesia is still one of the best investment places," he said.

According to the President, as the fourth largest democracy in the world, Indonesia has a government system with good checks and balances system. He also stated that the domestic political situation in Indonesia is very stable, accompanied by quite good economic growth after the pandemic.

"Last year we grew 3.69 (percent) and the first quarter of this year Indonesia's economy still grew 5.01 percent year on year, inflation can also be maintained at 4.35 (percent). Then the fiscal deficit is also quite good, I think this year it will fall below 4," said the President.

The President also said that Indonesia has foreign exchange reserves of 135 billion US dollars, which is sufficient for import needs for 6-7 months. He said that the investment is expected to help the development of a green economy, including in the energy transition sector.

"Right now we are starting to build a new capital city where there are lots of investment opportunities, ranging from infrastructure, technology to building smart cities, and others. We have simplified investment policies through the omnibus law (or) Job Creation Law so that all permits can be handled in a coordinated manner at the investment office," he stated.

President also asked the CEOs to contact Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia if they have problems investing in Indonesia. "CEOs, please ask for the Investment Minister's cellphone number, this is important. If there is a problem, you can directly contact the Investment Minister. If it can't be resolved at the Investment Minister, please contact me," he said.

Besides the Minister of Investment, President was also accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhur Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir, Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Heri Akhmadi, and Chairman of Indonesia Commerce Arsjad Rasjid.

Some of the CEOs of Japanese companies who attended the meeting were Toyota Motor Corp CEO Akio Toyoda, Sojitz Corp CEO Masayoshi Fujimoto, Mitsubishi Corp CEO Katsuya Nakanishi, Mitsubishi Motors Corp CEO Takao Kato, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp CEO Jean-Marc Gilson, Denso Corp CEO Koji Arima, Toyota CEO Tsusho Ichiro Kashitani, Sharp Corp Vice President Masahiro Okitsu, Inpex Corp Vice President Kenji Kawano, and Kansai Electric Power Vice President Matsumura Mikio.