Video Speech by Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investments of The Republic of Indonesia on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Video Speech by Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investments of The Republic of Indonesia on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

21 November, 2022 

His excellency Mr. Luo Zhaohui,

His excellency Mr. Wang Yubo,

Distinguished participants of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation,

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

First and foremost, please allow me to express my highest esteem and gratitude to Mr. Luo Zhaohui, leader of China International Development Cooperation Agency, and Mr.Wang Yubo, the representative from the People's Government of Yunnan Province of China. I would also greet fellow participants of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation. I believe today's event is a substantive and effective forum covering various maritime development cooperation issues, including blue economy cooperation, ocean climate governance, and submarine resource conservation. 

Indonesia is located between two world's major oceans, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. With a total maritime area, including the Exclusive Economic Zone, of more than five million square kilometers, Indonesia is one of the most significant maritime countries in the world. This massive maritime area has such high economic value for Indonesia. The fisheries sector, for example, has a value of around US$ 27 billion and supports more than 7 million jobs. This value does not include various mineral resources also being exploited and processed from the sea.The blue economy is also vital for Indonesia's sustainable economic development. Slowly but surely, maritime commodity exports began to strengthen, rivaling the land-based extractive sector. Between January and September 2021, Indonesia exported marine commodities worth US$ 4 billion, an increase of 4.55 percent compared to the previous year. 

Excellencies,

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Despite showing progress, Indonesia still faces many global maritime challenges that interrupt the development of the national blue economy. The first challenge is climate change. Marine areas, mainly tropical and subtropical waters, are vulnerable to rising earth temperatures. This rising temperature causes damage to marine ecosystems and, in the future, will disrupt the balance of nature. 

Furthermore, the increase in extreme weather and natural disasters such as tsunamis, floods, and droughts also threaten marine ecosystems and people's well-being. We should be aware of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean and East Asia that have been more frequent in the last decade. Another challenge is the increase in maritime pollution. WWF estimates that ocean plastic pollution, mainly from households and industries, will increase fourfold by 2050. So far, plastic waste makes up 80 percent of all marine pollution, and between 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. 

Excellencies,

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

The challenges above are our shared challenges, the countries in the Indian Ocean Rim and China. Joint initiatives to solve these various challenges are becoming increasingly vital and must be a priority in discussions in global forums. I appreciate China's initiative and commitment to sustainable maritime development and mitigating the impact of global warming on the maritime area. In addition, China is committed to supporting the management of the blue economy of countries in the Indian Ocean region, especially as the strategic dialogue partner in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). On a bilateral basis, China and Indonesia also agreed on several sustainable maritime cooperation projects at the 11th Technical Committee Meeting on Maritime Cooperation in October 2021. Among them are the construction of Ecological Marine Ranching in Indonesia and the construction of an Energy-saving Seawater Desalination Demonstrative Project on Islands by Using Wind and Solar Hybrid Energy that the China-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation Fund would sponsor. These are the positive cooperation approach for the development of a sustainable blue economy in the Indian Ocean region. 

Excellency,

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Lastly, I appreciate the initiative of the China International Development Cooperation Agency and the People's Government of Yunnan Province of China to organize this cooperation forum. I hope this forum can agree on various ideas strategically meaningful to overcoming multiple challenges of blue economic development in the Indian Ocean region. I also hope similar initiatives can continue to be implemented and involve countries in the Indian Ocean region to increase awareness of the challenges of the blue economy and solve global maritime problems. 

Thank you, and I wish you a successful and substantive forum.