Malaysia, Indonesia boost ties with RM130.14bn trade volume increase
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, was granted an audience with Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, at Istana Negara. Jokowi and his wife Iriana arrived at 3.35pm to attend an evening reception with the King, spending approximately an hour at the palace. The Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi were also in attendance.
Earlier in the day, Jokowi held a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. They witnessed the exchange of several agreements signed by representatives of relevant ministries and agencies from both countries and visited areas around the administrative centre. Jokowi’s visit to Malaysia came at the invitation of Anwar, following the Prime Minister’s official visit to Indonesia in January.
In August 2019, Jokowi made an official visit to Malaysia after being reappointed for a second term in Indonesia’s Presidential Election on April 17, 2019. In 2022, Indonesia was Malaysia’s sixth-largest trading partner and the second-largest within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a trade volume of RM130.14 billion (US$31.3 billion). This marked an increase of 36.5% compared to the previous year’s RM95.31 billion (US$22.9 billion).
The last time the King visited Indonesia was from August 26 to 29, 2019, marking Al-Sultan Abdullah’s maiden visit to the republic upon his installation as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on July 30 that year.
