Indonesia and China to sign Extradition Pact

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): Indonesia is set to sign an extradition pact with China as part of a new phase in the two country's bilateral relations, Indonesian Ambassador to China Sudrajat said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday.

"The two countries' foreign ministers will meet in due course. We hope it (the treaty's signing) will transpire before the middle of this year," Sudrajat said.

The Indonesia-China extradition arrangement, he added, would allow assets that have been stashed by Indonesian corrupters in China to be returned to the state.

Sudrajat also said that the Indonesia-China trade relations have reached a total value of US$25.01 billion last year, surpassing the two countries' projection for this year at US$20 billion.

"The president expects trade between the two countries to meet the $30 billion target by 2010, which may even be reached by 2009 due to the annual trade growth average of 31 percent," the envoy said.

Apart from trade and legal-judicial cooperation, Sudrajat mentioned that China had also offered assistance in helping Indonesia prop up its defense capabilities in the Malacca Straits, which is part of the two countries' defense cooperation in education and training.