A brief overview of how Taiwan and Indonesia have maintained a friendly relationship over the past three decades.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/11/14
By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, Dimas Permadi, and Ramadha Valentine

Although Indonesia does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country, the relationship between Indonesia and Taiwan has been a mutually beneficial one. Taiwan’s "New Southbound Policy" policy has also strengthened cooperation with Indonesia in various fields.

Economic partnership

Economic ties between the two have increased significantly since 1971, and Indonesia occupied the 14th position of Taiwan's largest trading partner last year. Taiwan exports products to Indonesia such as iron and steel, chemicals, textile raw materials, among others, while importing resources like coal, wood, rubber, natural gas from Indonesia.

The collaboration was strengthened by a contract between Indonesia’s State Enterprises (BUMN) Ministry and CPC Corporation Taiwan-based oil and gas company.

To facilitate trade cooperation, Indonesia has established an official trade office in Taipei in 1970, known as the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (KDEI). Taiwan reciprocated the effort and established its trade office named Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Jakarta in 1971. In 2015, the Taiwan-owned trading office was also established in Surabaya, an Indonesian port city.
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