Taiwan will soon open a new representative office in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city. This move is expected to boost relations between the two countries.
A foreign ministry official said Thursday that the main purpose of the office is to make applying for Taiwanese work visas more convenient for Indonesian workers. There are 230,000 Indonesian workers working in Taiwan, accounting for the largest group of foreign workers in the country.
Currently, Indonesians need to visit the representative office in Jakarta to apply for visas to work in Taiwan.
The opening of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Surabaya – Taiwan’s second representative office in Indonesia – is also expected to help promote bilateral trade relations.
Statistics show that in 2014, Taiwan was Indonesia's 10th-largest trade partner, while Indonesia is Taiwan's 12th-largest trade partner.