Chinese Premier Li Qiang landed in Jakarta on Saturday for an official visit to Indonesia at the invitation of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Following the visit, Li will also travel to Malaysia and attend the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-GCC (the Gulf Cooperation Council)-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26-28.
Li arrived at the Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on Saturday afternoon, and was welcomed by Indonesia's Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Rosan Roeslani, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong, and other officials at the airport.
China and Indonesia are friends and neighbors across the sea and close partners with a shared future, Li said upon his arrival, adding that this year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Indonesia diplomatic ties, which have maintained steady growth.
The traditional friendship has grown stronger over time and practical cooperation has yielded rich fruits, Li said.
Li recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Prabowo met twice last year, reached an important consensus on building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future with regional and global influence, lifted bilateral ties to new heights, and opened new opportunities for both sides to deepen cooperation in various fields.
China stands ready to work with Indonesia to keep consolidating cooperation in the "five pillars" of politics, economy, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, maritime affairs and security, Li said.
He urged both sides to enrich the China-Indonesia community with a shared future, join hands to pursue modernization, and make greater contributions to regional and global peace, stability and development.
Li noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. Over the past 70 years, the Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation has provided guidance for the independent and self-reliant development of Asian and African countries, injected impetus into the unity and cooperation of the Global South countries, and become an important norm of international relations, he said.
At present, the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and all countries face many common challenges in their development, he said, stressing that as major developing countries and important members of the Global South, China and Indonesia should further carry forward the Bandung Spirit, strengthen solidarity and coordination, promote the practice of true multilateralism, work together to address challenges, so as to boost and share prosperity.
During his visit, Li will hold talks with Indonesian leaders and attend events of the business community.
Chinese premier lands in Indonesia for official visit
Chinese premier lands in Indonesia for official visit
The international community on Thursday continued to lash out at Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir for releasing a video which mocks the participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
On Thursday local time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that all foreign activists who had recently participated in the flotilla had been expelled from the country, and that Israel would not tolerate any violations of the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of members from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were brought to Israel's Ashdod Port on Wednesday, as Ben-Gvir released the video showing some of them shackled and forced to the ground.
In the video, released by Ben-Gvir on his social media channels, dozens of activists are shown kneeling on the floor, bent forward with their heads down and hands bound behind their backs with zip ties, as the Israeli national anthem is played loudly over speakers.
Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval vessels intercepted all ships in the convoy in international waters, about 250 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza. According to the organizers, 428 activists were "kidnapped" by Israel after the interception began on Monday morning.
On Thursday, the British government issued a statement saying that the Britain had summoned the charge d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy that day to express strong denunciation of the video released by Ben-Gvir on Wednesday.
Britain accused the relevant actions of violating the most basic principles of respect for human dignity and demanded that the Israeli government provide an explanation regarding the detention.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani on Thursday said on social media that he had requested the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir.
Tajani said that the Israeli side detained activists in international waters and subjected them to harassment and humiliation, describing such actions as "unacceptable" and "a violation of the most basic human rights."
On the same day, the Polish foreign affairs ministry issued a statement saying that Poland had summoned the charge d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Poland, demanding that Israel launch an investigation into the detention and issue an official apology to the detained activists.
Earlier that day, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski decided to seek a ban on Ben-Gvir's entry into Poland.
On Thursday, Polish Minister of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwinski also said that he had ordered the initiation of formal procedures to designate Ben-Gvir as a persona non grata.
Additionally, on Thursday, Danilo Della Valle, a member of the European Parliament, said that he had written to European Council President Antonio Costa, calling on the EU to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir. The letter was co-signed by nearly 30 members of the European Parliament.
Int'l community continues to slam Israel for maltreating Gaza aid flotilla members
