Indonesian president, Chinese state councilor meet on ties

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met here Thursday with visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on bilateral ties. Lauding the healthy development of bilateral relations, Yudhoyono stressed the need to advance cooperation in an all-round way. The Indonesian people warmly welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to Indonesia and attendance of the 21st informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Bali Island of Indonesia, said Yudhoyono. The Indonesian president said he is looking forward to conducting in-depth exchanges of views with Xi on bilateral ties and key international and regional issues to cement friendship, promote cooperation and advance the Indonesia-China strategic partnership. Yang, for his part, said that China and Indonesia are both major countries and emerging markets in Asia. It is a common aspiration of both governments and peoples to strengthen their strategic partnership, which will play an important role in safeguarding regional peace, stability and development, and in promoting unity among developing countries, he said. As a key event in bilateral relations, Xi's upcoming state visit to Indonesia is of profound significance, said Yang, who voiced confidence that with concerted efforts, the visit will reap a bumper harvest and elevate the bilateral ties to a higher level. Yudhoyono and Yang also exchanged views on the Syria issue and agreed to seek a political solution to the problem.