JAKARTA, Feb. 11  -- The integration of the two development initiatives of China and Indonesia, namely the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Sea Toll Road, will benefit the economies involved in the connectivity-advancing programs, officials and scholars said here.

The idea to integrate the two big ideas is ultimately expected to bring about welfare to a total of 1.6 billion people living in the two countries and further advance the two economies that have been witnessing rapid growths in the last few years, according to panelists in a seminar entitled "Grabbing Business Opportunities from Silk Road and Sea Toll Road".

"Leaders of China and Indonesia have come up with brilliant ideas to start a new journey in developing regional and global economies," said Sudrajat, former Indonesia ambassador to China, who is an executive at Indonesia-China Institution.

Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned the idea of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road at the Indonesian parliament during his visit in Indonesia in October, 2013.

In July 2014, Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo launched the Sea Toll Road program aimed at advancing the nation's maritime transport across the archipelago country. The program was also expected to make Indonesia the agent in promoting "dynamism" between Indian and Pacific oceans, Sudrajat said.

Sudrajat said that the integration would also benefit countries affected by efficacy of the grand connectivity integration.

"It would also increase (Indonesia's) bilateral trade with China that has been growing from 30 billion U.S. dollars in 2010 to 70 billion U.S. dollars in 2014 and is expected to reach 80 billion U.S. dollars this year," Sudrajat said.

Indonesia, the largest archipelago country in the world with abundant resources, is considered to play the crucial role in the effectiveness of grand inter-connectivity regime, a Chinese envoy said in his remarks at the event.

"The Sea Toll Road and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road programs have similarities and may synergize both nations' bilateral ties. Indonesia and China must be able to materialize it, " Zhou Hui, an economic attache at the Chinese Embassy said.

He said China would like to greatly help Indonesia and countries involved in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative so as to make the inter-connectivity regime mutually benefit each country involved.

He said that the Chinese firms were eager to take part in constructions of seaports, roads and power plants, so as to support implementation of the grand inter-connection program.

The aim to realize inter-connection between the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Sea Toll Road program has its way with the joining of Indonesia in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in November last year. The development bank provides funds to finance infrastructure projects that facilitate inter- connectivity.

Indonesia's Transportation Minister Ignatius Jonan said that the government would welcome the eagerness of Chinese investors intending to build infrastructure in the country.

He said that that reform to ease business procedures in Indonesia is now being prepared by the government. "The process would be quicker than it used to be," he said in his speech at the event.

He added that investors are encouraged to self-finance their projects in Indonesia, while government with its budget would focus on constructions of non-commercial infrastructure projects in remote areas.

The Indonesian government has planned to build 24 new seaports across the country to facilitate its Sea Toll Road program, including 13 for cargo and 11 for public transportation.