Indonesia, China sign energy, mining cooperation agreement

Friday, November 24, 2006 06:11 WIT

Beijing (IOGNews) - China and Indonesia agreed to expand cooperation in energy and mineral resources, as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said energy security would be a "key factor" in future bilateral ties, state media said on Sunday.

Yudhoyono and Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju attended a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding on energy and mining cooperation on Saturday in Shanghai on Saturday, DPA reported citing the official Xinhua news agency.

Energy security is a "key factor in allowing China and Indonesia to achieve peace, stability and development", the agency quoted the Indonesian president as saying.

"Win-win economic cooperation is the foundation of the strategic partnership between China and Indonesia," Huang was quoted as saying.

The two leaders attended the second Sino-Indonesian energy forum in Shanghai on Saturday, following the first forum in Bali in 2002.

Earlier this year, the two sides agreed that Indonesia's Tangguh gas field will provide 2.6 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually to south-eastern China's Fujian province from 2009 to 2034.

The report gave no details of any new initiatives in Saturday's agreement.

Yudhoyono is also scheduled to attend a forum marking the 15th anniversary of formal dialogue between China and the Association of South-East Asian Nations on Monday and Tuesday in the southern Chinese city of Nanning. (Antara)