Indonesian president to visit East Asia for economic cooperation

JAKARTA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo is scheduled to visit China, Japan and South Korea on July 25-28 to discuss economic cooperation, including on trade and investment, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday.

"The three countries are Indonesia's strategic partners in the economic field, as well as for ASEAN," Marsudi told a press conference.

The first leg of Widodo's upcoming trip is China, Indonesia's largest trading partner, and its second-largest investor after Singapore, according to the Indonesian foreign minister.

From Beijing, Widodo will continue his overseas trip to Tokyo for meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Japanese business people, then to Seoul for meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the last day.

Last year, Indonesia's bilateral trade with Japan reached 32 billion U.S. dollars, and that with South Korea totaled 18.41 billion U.S. dollars.

In the bilateral meetings, Widodo will also discuss with the leaders the latest updates on regional and international issues, Marsudi added.