Widodo held bilateral talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the sidelines of the Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China.

During the meeting, President Jokowi and President Wickremesinghe discussed increasing cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

In the economic sector, President Jokowi welcomed Sri Lanka’s desire to form a preferential trade agreement with Indonesia.

Based on data, the trade volume between Indonesia and Sri Lanka fell by 27.5 percent in 2022, so joint efforts are needed to increase the value of trade between the two countries, the Indonesian President’s office said.