Surabaya (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa met with Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Xu Yong, to discuss potential cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, and socio-cultural sectors.
During the meeting at her office in Surabaya on Saturday (March 8), Parawansa highlighted East Java’s need for advanced technology to enhance dairy production and improve milk yields.
"Currently, East Java meets 65 percent of its milk demands through imports. Therefore, strategic steps are needed to increase domestic production, in line with the Free Nutritious Meals program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto," she said in a statement on Sunday.
In the agricultural sector, she briefed the Chinese envoy on the appeal of durians and snake fruit from Candipuro, Lumajang District, as potential export commodities.
Turning to the health sector, the governor expressed her interest in collaborating with China to modernize two key hospitals managed by her administration: Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya and Dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital in Malang.
"Dr. Soetomo Regional Public Hospital is Indonesia’s largest, surpassing even Jakarta’s Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in scale. We hope that cooperation with China will enable us to acquire high-quality medical equipment for the benefit of East Java residents," she stated.
Furthermore, Parawansa expressed gratitude to Shanghai and Tianjin for their ongoing sister province partnerships with East Java.
She also underscored the potential for socio-cultural exchanges, emphasizing the presence of halal restaurants in China as a supporting factor for stronger people-to-people relations.
Consul General Xu, for his part, noted that 2025 marks 75 years of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia. He highlighted that inter-regional cooperation at the sub-national level had been playing a crucial role in strengthening ties between the two countries.
He also expressed confidence that this partnership would bring tangible benefits beyond political relations, fostering economic opportunities for both nations.
