Premier Wen Jiabao met in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyo on promotion of the bilateral ties and regional cooperation.

During the meeting, Wen said that the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Indonesia is a correct choice the two countries have made in accordance with their needs of development, thus injecting a fresh vigor into the development of bilateral ties.

Both China and Indonesia are big developing countries with significant influence, and strengthening the Sino-Indonesian friendship is in conformity with the interests of the two countries and two peoples and is conducive to peace and development of this region and the world, Wen said.

With the strategic partnership between the two countries as a new starting point, the Chinese side is willing to push for more exchanges and cooperation in various fields together with the Indonesian side, he said.

He proposed the two sides set in motion their first strategic dialogue at an early date and consult over the bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues.

He also proposed that the two sides strengthen financial cooperation and enhance cooperation in economic and energy policies, so as to realize the goal of increasing bilateral trade volume to US$20 billion by 2008, and US$30 billion by 2010.

For his part, Susilo said Indonesia has a great expectation of the strategic partnership between the two countries, expressing his hope for an overall deepening of cooperation in politics, society, trade, economy, security and other fields along with coordination and concerted action in international affairs.

He said that Indonesia is fully confident over the prospect of the bilateral trade, and will make efforts together with the Chinese side to strengthen cooperation in energy, infrastructure, investment and agriculture.

Susilo expressed his appreciation of the proposals Wen had raised on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and on making concerted efforts to combat the avian flu.

The Indonesian leader said that his country firmly sticks to the one-China policy, of which Wen expressed his appreciation.

At the First Asia Summit held here earlier Wednesday, Wen delivered a major speech titled "Be

Open and Inclusive, and Achieve Mutual Benefit and Common Progress."

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2005)