Luhut Calls for Serious Chinese Assistance for Jakarta-Surabaya Fast Train Project

CNN Indonesia

Sunday, 21 April 2024 11:50 IWST

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan request China really about helping Indonesia by working on it A fast car Jakarta-Surabaya.

He said the high-speed train project was part of the cooperation between Indonesia and China. This was realized in the Jakarta-Bandung Fast Train (KCJB) aka Whoosh.

Luhut emphasized that the Whoosh project is proof of the success of the Global Maritime Fulcrum-Belt and Road Initiative aka GMF-BRI. Therefore, Luhut said that it is appropriate to extend the high-speed train route in Indonesia to Surabaya.

“Therefore, I hope that the Chinese Government, China Development Bank (CDB), and China Railway will continue to give priority attention and financial support, as well as the transfer of KCJB’s operational technology,” Luhut said in an official statement, Friday (19). /4).

“We propose to create a joint task force to speed up the project (Jakarta-Surabaya Fast Train),” he said.

Luhut’s hopes were expressed directly at the 4th RI-PRC High Level Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism Meeting (HDCM) in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. At the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was present.

Luhut also mentions statistics on Whoosh, which has been operating commercially since October 17 2023. According to him, in the past three months the average number of Whoosh passengers reached 15 thousand people per day.

In fact, he said that passengers on the first high-speed train in Indonesia were increasing. At the peak of the Eid homecoming flow in 2024, Whoosh passengers are said to have reached 21,422 people or an increase of 34 percent.

The Coordinating Minister for Marves Luhut also believes that the close relationship between Indonesia and China will continue after the presidency of President Joko Widodo. He hopes that both countries will continue to prioritize the principles of trust, respect and mutual benefit.

“In February 2024, Indonesia succeeded in holding simultaneous elections smoothly. I am sure that Indonesia, in the next period of government, will promise to continue the policies of President Joko Widodo and continue with strong friendship and constructive cooperation between Indonesia and China,” he said.

(sgt/pta)