Indonesia, China Explore Film and Cultural Industry Partnership

RRI.CO.Id, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, received a delegation from the China Association for Economic Development in Asia (CAEDA) and Global Digital Trade and Transaction Center (GDTTC) in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, to discuss expanding cultural cooperation between Indonesia and China. The talks covered potential collaboration in film production, traditional medicine, and technology-based creative industries.

The meeting at Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture office served as an initial step to explore partnerships aimed at strengthening cultural ties between the two countries. Both sides also discussed opportunities to support the growth of Indonesia’s cultural and creative industry ecosystem through international cooperation.

Vice President of CAEDA and Director of GDTTC, Li Yu, said China is interested in broadening cultural exchanges with Indonesia through film, performing arts, concerts, and cross-border drama productions. He added that Chinese production companies are also open to adapting popular Chinese dramas for Indonesian audiences and pursuing joint film productions with Indonesian filmmakers.

“We hope cultural exchanges between China and Indonesia can continue to grow through film, performing arts, and creative industry collaboration between the two countries,” Li Yu said. According to him, cultural cooperation can also strengthen people-to-people relations and open new opportunities for the entertainment sector in Asia.

Responding to the proposal, Fadli Zon stated that Indonesia’s film industry is currently experiencing significant growth and remains open to international collaboration, including with China. He noted that Indonesia has strong potential in film production, audience markets, and the development of supporting infrastructure.

“Indonesia’s film industry is growing very positively. National film production has now reached more than 250 films annually, with over 122 million viewers, and the potential for collaboration with China is enormous,” Fadli said. He also highlighted the importance of strengthening co-production schemes and cooperation between filmmakers from both countries.

The Minister of Culture further explained that Indonesia still faces a shortage of cinema screens nationwide, creating broad opportunities for investment in the sector. Out of an estimated national demand for 10,000 cinema screens, Indonesia currently has only around 2,500 screens available.

Fadli expressed hope that China’s advanced cinema technologies could eventually be introduced to Indonesia to modernize the country’s film infrastructure. He added that technological cooperation could help Indonesia remain aligned with global developments in the entertainment industry.

Beyond the film sector, the Chinese delegation also proposed cooperation in traditional medicine and healthcare development. Deputy Director of Global ITC and General Manager of the Center for Medical and Health Industry, Pan Zhaojun, said the initiative would include knowledge exchange, joint research, human resource development, and the establishment of Indonesia–China traditional medicine centers.

“We hope Indonesia can become a model for collaboration between Chinese and Indonesian traditional medicine to improve public health in the future,” Pan Zhaojun said. He emphasized that cooperation in traditional medicine could contribute to innovation in healthcare services and research.

Fadli Zon welcomed the proposal, noting that traditional medicine forms an important part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage, including herbal medicine traditions such as jamu. According to him, Indonesia possesses rich biodiversity and local knowledge that could support broader research and development in traditional healthcare practices.

“Traditional medicine has long been practiced in China, and we are open to collaboration opportunities that can strengthen research, development, and wider utilization of traditional medicine in Indonesia’s healthcare services,” the minister added. He concluded that cultural cooperation between Indonesia and China holds significant potential to strengthen bilateral relations while encouraging sustainable and inclusive growth in the cultural industry sector.