RRI.CO.ID, Shanghai – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, traveled to Shanghai, China, from July 16–19, 2026, to sign the agreement establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). He said Indonesia’s participation as one of the founding signatories underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring the country is not merely a market but an active player in the global digital economy.

“Indonesia’s participation as one of the first signatories to the establishment of this organization reflects the government’s proactive commitment to ensuring that Indonesia becomes a key player in the global digital economy, rather than merely a market,” Airlangga said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

WAICO is an international organization established to formulate global governance, ethical standards, and cooperation in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Indonesia’s participation follows up on the bilateral digital economy cooperation commitment signed by Indonesia and China in 2022.

Over the past few years, China has consistently been one of Indonesia’s largest sources of foreign investment. In 2025, Chinese investment in Indonesia reached US$7.5 billion. Combined with investment from Hong Kong, which totaled US$10.6 billion, the two economies ranked as the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia.Beyond investment, Indonesia and China continue to strengthen their economic partnership through growing trade. China remains Indonesia’s largest trading partner, with Indonesia’s major exports including mineral products, iron and steel, nickel, vegetable oils, and metal ores.

In 2025, total trade between the two countries reached US$167.36 billion, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

Meanwhile, Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of US$5.6 billion with China during the January–June 2026 period. Chinese investment in Indonesia is still largely concentrated in basic industries, including the metals and power sectors.

Through the signing of the WAICO agreement, the Indonesian government aims to attract a significant increase in capital flows into high-technology industries to accelerate the country’s economic transformation, boost productivity, and create greater added value.

As part of the visit, Airlangga is also scheduled to hold a series of business meetings and investment promotion sessions with executives from leading Chinese technology companies, including ByteDance, Unitree, Deep Robotics, and FiberHome.

“These meetings are expected to generate concrete cooperation opportunities that will accelerate the development of Indonesia’s high-tech industrial ecosystem, expand knowledge and technology transfer, and strengthen the competitiveness of our national industry,” Airlangga said.