17 August 2022
The Diplomatic Informer Magazine wishes to congratulate the Government and the people of Indonesia on the occasion of the anniversary of the independence day.
We sincerely wish the Government & the people of Indonesia continued unity, peace and increased prosperity.
17th August is Indonesia’s national day and marks Indonesia’s declaration of independence from the Netherlands in 1945.
Indonesia had been a Dutch colony for over 300 years when a group of revolutionaries declared independence on 17 August 1945.
It took Indonesians four years of diplomacy and armed struggle before their independence was formally granted by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
Despite the granting of independence in 1945, it wasn’t until 2005, that the Netherlands declared that they had decided to accept the date of 17 August 1945 as the date of Indonesia’s independence.
Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 beautiful islands. It is the world’s fourth most populous country. More than half of Indonesia’s population live on Java, making it the world’s most populous island.
Indonesia and South Africa established diplomatic relations in August 1994. The South African Embassy in Jakarta was established in January 1995, and Indonesia opened its embassy in Pretoria in 1995. Both nations are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and G-20 major economies. In 2012, during a briefing on Foreign Policy initiatives for 2012, Indonesia named South Africa amongst its 14 strategic partners.
Political relations
SA-Indonesia relations go back more than 350 years – when the first people of Indonesian descent arrived in the Cape in the mid-1600s. Starting with the Bandung Conference of 1955 (which was attended, on behalf of the ANC by Moses Kotane and Maulvi Cachalia), Indonesia became one of the fiercest critics of apartheid and supported the anti-apartheid struggle throughout.
Efforts to rekindle the spirit of Bandung through enhancing cooperation between the countries of Asia and Africa were jointly initiated in 2002 and Indonesia and South Africa hosted the first Asian-African Sub-Regional Organizations Conference (AASROC I) and the second AASROC (AASROC II) respectively in Bandung, Indonesia in 2003 and in Durban, South Africa in 2004.
These events were important milestones in preparation for the Asian-African Summit in Indonesia in 2005, which was held in conjunction with the commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the 1955 Asian-African Conference. In 1995, the New Asia Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP) was established with SA and Indonesia as the co-chairs.
Deputy President Cyril Ramophosa represented President Jacob Zuma; during the 60th Anniversary of the Asia Africa Bandung Conference with the theme “Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity” & the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership Summit Meeting respectively held in Jakarta and Bandung from 19 – 24 April 2015.
Furthermore; the Indonesian Government; through the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (locally referred to as KADIN) hosted the first Asia – Africa Business Summit on 21 April 2015 with the theme of “Realization of Asia-Africa Partnership for Progress and Prosperity”. Deputy President Cyril Ramophosa addressed the Asia – Africa Business Summit which culminated on the decision for the formation of the Asia – Africa Business Council.
INDONESIA-SOUTH AFRICA
In 2020, Indonesia exported $625M to South Africa. The main products that Indonesia exported to South Africa are Palm Oil ($207M), Cars ($34.2M), and Coconut Oil ($26.1M). During the last 25 years the exports of Indonesia to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 7.14%, from $111M in 1995 to $625M in 2020.
SOUTH AFRICA-INDONESIA
In 2020, South Africa exported $531M to Indonesia . The main products that South Africa exported to Indonesia were Ferroalloys ($277M), Dissolving Grades Chemical Woodpulp ($85.6M), and Chromium Ore ($55.9M). During the last 25 years the exports of South Africa to Indonesia have increased at an annualized rate of 5.01%, from $156M in 1995 to $531M in 2020.
COMPARISON
In 2020, Indonesia ranked 64 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.093), and 28 in total exports ($178B). That same year, South Africa ranked 54 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.086), and 36 in total exports ($102B).