Chinese president meets Indonesian counterpart on bilateral ties

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Singapore Friday to exchange views on furthering friendly relations and cooperation between China and Indonesia.

The Chinese and Indonesian leaders are meeting on the sidelines of the Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Singapore. Both China and Indonesia are APEC members.

They are expected to exchange views over issues concerning further development of friendly cooperation and common interests between the two sides.

China and Indonesia established their strategic partnership in 2005. In recent years, relations between the two countries have developed steadily as political trust increased, cooperation in various sectors expanded and coordination in dealing with international affairs was strengthened.

Additionally, fruitful achievements have been accomplished in areas like infrastructure and trade. In 2008, bilateral trade between the two countries totaled 31.5 billion U.S. dollars, a 25 percent increase compared to that of 2007.