BEIJING. The government of Indonesia has asked the Chinese government to increase its imports of crude palm oil (CPO) from Indonesia.

"We discussed cooperation to increase our CPO exports to China. China has developed industry to produce biodiesel with 5 percent palm oil content. China's CPO requirement, therefore, would increase to feed its bio-diesel industry," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said here on Sunday night.

Retno said President Joko Widodo in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the Indonesian interest in increasing CPO exports to that China.

She said the Chinese government gave a "positive" response to the Indonesian offer, adding "hopefully our exports of palm oil could be increased to supply the Chinese bio-diesel industry."

Jokowi also asked China to invest in Indonesia in industry to process CPO into derivatives, oleo-chemicals. Indonesia is the largest CPO producer, but it is still behind Malaysia in industry producing CPO derivatives. Malaysia is the second largest palm oil producers, but it has been ahead in development of oleo-chemical industry.

Editor: Yudho Winarto