On Monday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed the “rivalry” between the United States and China, as well as other bilateral and regional issues.

Widodo hosted Anwar at the Bogor presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on his first overseas trip since taking office last November.

“The two sides signed 11 letters of intent in the fields of electronics, health, waste management, construction, and property”

– President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo

“During their 4-eyed meeting, both Leaders took stock of bilateral cooperation’s progress, explored the potential of new cooperation, and promoted joint efforts in addressing regional and global challenges,” said a Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement on Twitter.

The two sides talked about economic cooperation, including Malaysian potential investments in Indonesia, bilateral land border demarcation, and maritime border demarcation, as well as employment and protection for Indonesian migrant workers.

“Both Leaders also exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar, rivalry between the US and China, and joint efforts to address palm oil discrimination,” according to the statement.

Malaysia and Indonesia are founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an expanding Southeast Asian region in which the United States has increased bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and military relations to counter China’s growing economic and military influence.

Anwar expressed his full support for Widodo as Indonesia takes over the chairmanship of ASEAN later this month.

The two sides signed 11 letters of intent in the fields of electronics, health, waste management, construction, and property, according to Widodo.

According to the Indonesian president, the two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in expanding the palm oil market through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries.

Malaysia and Indonesia account for roughly 85% of global palm oil production.

Anwar visited the neighboring and world’s most Muslim-populated country for two days, where he also gave a public lecture titled “Malaysia-Indonesia Strategic Relations: Challenges and Hopes,” which discussed challenges and opportunities in bilateral cooperation.

Info source – Anadolu Agency