JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, hosted an official audience with a delegation from the People's Republic of China, led by Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Mr. Zhang Zhili, at his office on Friday (August 21, 2026).

During the meeting, Minister Yandri pointed out that rural poverty in Indonesia remains at approximately 11.34 percent—more than double the urban poverty rate. Furthermore, roughly 10,000 villages still lack electricity, while nearly 45 percent of villages remain vulnerable to natural disasters.

"Consequently, we are promoting the Octahelix Collaboration framework—a multi-stakeholder model bringing together diverse actors to drive innovation, advance sustainable development, and address complex rural challenges," Minister Yandri stated.

Kemendes PDT is also placing a strong emphasis on rural Human Resource (HR) development to accelerate growth in village areas. In this regard, joint programs with China, such as Benchmarking Studies and Seminars, are viewed as highly beneficial for village heads to gain valuable knowledge and expertise for implementation back home.

Furthermore, Minister Yandri proposed expanding the Benchmarking initiative beyond village heads to incorporate Kemendes PDT's flagship "Youth Building Villages" (Pemuda Bangun Desa) initiative. Under this expanded scope, rural youth would be granted opportunities to study and gain practical work experience in China.

"We hope that bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and China in rural development continues to intensify—not only through knowledge sharing and capacity building, but also through more concrete economic partnerships," Minister Yandri added.

Kemendes PDT remains open to exploring investment opportunities and private-sector engagement. Priority focus areas include unleashing local village economic potential, downstream processing of primary village commodities, boosting productivity, expanding supply chains, and adopting technology tailored to rural community needs.

Accordingly, Kemendes PDT welcomed progress on the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kemendes PDT and China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). The Ministry hopes the MoU can be finalized swiftly to serve as a baseline for concrete, mutually beneficial actions.

Indonesia also underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral engagement within the Global Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development Partnership (GPPAD) framework. Indonesia stands ready to play an active role in GPPAD, viewing the platform as a key space to exchange best practices in poverty reduction and rural transformation.

In response, Vice Minister Zhang Zhili agreed on the necessity of bolstering cooperation across all tiers—between central governments, local authorities, expert groups, and academic institutions.

"Through this partnership, we aim to implement practical, pragmatic steps to fulfill the major consensus reached by the leaders of both nations, contributing jointly to a shared future for China and Indonesia," Zhang Zhili remarked.

Vice Minister Zhang added that China fully supports the strategic commitments set out by President Prabowo Subianto, including the goal to eradicate extreme poverty prior to 2029.

He also expressed hope that more Chinese enterprises will invest and establish agricultural operations in Indonesia, noting that a favorable local business climate remains crucial.

"Moreover, supporting businesses to operate stably and sustainably will foster shared prosperity across local communities," Zhang Zhili concluded.

The delegation from China included Ms. Liu Jiang (Director of the Asia-Africa Division, Department of International Cooperation, MARA), Mr. Meng Dehao (Secretary of the General Office, MARA), Mr. Geng Jianzhong (First Secretary, Embassy of China in Indonesia), and Ms. Li Jiajing (Second Secretary, Embassy of China in Indonesia).

Accompanying Minister Yandri at the meeting were Secretary-General Taufik Madjid, Inspector General Masyhudi, Director General of PDP Nugroho Setijo Nagoro, Director General of PEID Tabrani, Director General of PPDT Samsul Widodo, Head of BPSDM Agustomi Masik, Head of BPI Mulyadin Malik, Expert Staff Bito Wikantosa, and Special Staff Fahad Attamimi.

Photo: Andri/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Firman/Kemendes PDT