President Prabowo lands in Beijing for inaugural state visit

Beijing (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport, China, at 6:25 p.m. local time on Friday for his inaugural state visit, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Accompanied by his son, Didit Hediprasetyo, Prabowo disembarked from the Boeing 737-700 BBJ presidential aircraft and was greeted with a guard of honor performed by the People’s Liberation Army. A young girl then presented the Indonesian head of state with flowers.

Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Han Jun, received President Prabowo and his officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, at the airport.

Other Indonesian officials, such as Ambassador to China and Mongolia Djauhari Oratmangun and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, also welcomed President Prabowo.

Following the reception, Prabowo and his entourage left for the hotel where they would stay during the visit. Their agenda includes a meeting with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

President Prabowo is also scheduled to lay a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square and meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and the chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, said earlier that Prabowo's decision to choose China as the first stop on his inaugural overseas tour reflects the importance of Indonesia-China bilateral ties.

She assured that China is ready to engage with Indonesia in efforts to elevate their well-established bilateral relations to a new level.

After concluding his agenda in China, President Prabowo is scheduled to visit the United States, Peru, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Qatar.