Reports said that 29 heads of state, including Chinese president Xi Jinping, have confirmed their attendance at the event that is expected to encourage Asian and African countries in pushing forward South-South cooperation.

Jusuf hailed China’s Belt and Road initiative aimed at advancing developments in countries in southern hemisphere through connectivity improvement, saying that it would significantly boost economic cooperation among developing countries. “The idea of the Belt and Road initiative through the land and sea would be an important contribution of China to the world,” Jusuf said.

Jusuf said that the Maritime Silk Road initiative was in line with Indonesian president Joko Widodo’s concept of the Maritime Highway to rejuvenate the archipelago nation’s maritime connectivity during his administration. “The two ideas can be aligned as both are complimentary to each other,” he said.

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