Trade, visas and tigers on agenda for Widodo visit

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will hold talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has landed in Australia ahead of crucial talks in a bid to boost trade amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Widodo landed in Sydney on Monday night ahead of a three-day visit in what is likely to be his last trip to the country as leader before his term ends.

He will hold talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday, with trade and investment, infrastructure and the climate transition as well as education initiatives on the agenda.

Visa arrangements between Australia and Indonesia will be part of the bilateral talks in a bid to increase movement between the countries.

Mr Widodo will hold an event with business leaders in Sydney before meeting with Governor-General David Hurley at Admiralty House.

Indonesian ministers as well as their Australian counterparts will also take part in the talks.

The two leaders will then hold one-on-one talks at Taronga Zoo, where the pair will visit a Sumatran tiger exhibit.

It is expected education initiatives involving boosting the number of people speaking Indonesian in Australia will be announced.

It comes as international students from Indonesia at Australian universities have rebounded following COVID-induced disruptions to the sector.

West Australian Premier Roger Cook will also hold talks with the Indonesian president in Sydney, with the pair likely to discuss Indonesia's transition towards renewable energy and the development of its electric vehicle manufacturing industry.

Indonesia has been looking at developing electric vehicle infrastructure across the country.

An agreement is expected to be signed between the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and WA on critical mineral supplies.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties on the issue in February.

Defence issues, such as the AUKUS partnership and tensions in the region, are also expected to be discussed between Mr Albanese and his Indonesian counterpart.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Gatra Priyandita said Australia's development of the AUKUS security pact with the United States and United Kingdom would be central to international relations in the area.

"There's a position of cautious optimism, particularly about AUKUS, but Jokowi (Widodo) and senior defence command have been more open to the idea of collaboration and see AUKUS and the Quad more broadly as an opportunity," he told AAP.

"Once Jokowi leaves office, this will be one of the primary challenges in relations."

Regardless of who succeeds Mr Widodo, Mr Priyandita said the relationship with Australia had stabilised in the past decade.

"Whoever replaces Jokowi inherits a much more developed and cooperative relationship compared to when he assumed the presidency in 2014, when the relationship was recovering from the phone-hacking scandal and Australia was spying on the political elite," he said.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store