China committed to Indonesia's high-speed railway project, further cooperation: state councilor

China is pledging to complete the construction of Indonesia's first high-speed railway (HSR) on time and with a high standard of quality, a visiting Chinese state councilor said here Thursday.

Wang Yong, who is on a three-day visit to Indonesia, attended the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a railway that would link Jakarta with Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java.

During his meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Wang said the HSR project, which was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart, is an early success of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership.

China is committed to working with Indonesia to complete the construction of the HSR on time and using state-of-the-art technology, and to make it a landmark project that will benefit both countries, Wang said.

He also expressed hope that both sides would take advantage of this project to deepen ties in various fields and realize common development and prosperity.

For his part, Widodo said he was very pleased with the official launching of the HSR project, which was agreed upon by both he and Xi.

Widodo said his country attaches great importance to developing the comprehensive strategic partnership established between Indonesia and China. He added he's prepared to expand further cooperation with China in other fields.

He predicted that more infrastructure would be built and other projects would be launched along the Jarkata-Bandung economic belt once the HSR is complete. He said Chinese enterprises would be welcomed to take part in further developing the region.

China and Indonesia signed a joint-venture agreement on the construction and operation of the HSR in October last year. The Indonesian side will control 60 percent of the joint venture. Endi