Foreign minister asks China to buy RI's LNG

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab was on visit to China to ask the country to buy Indonesia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) and help revive the aircraft manufacturing company PT IPTN.

"Why should they buy LNG from Middle East, if they can buy it from us," Alwi told Indonesian journalists after attending the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia.

Alwi did not explain which LNG Indonesia would sell to China but state oil and gas company Pertamina and its production sharing contractor Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) have been marketing the planned Tannguh LNG project in Irian Jaya in China.

According to Alwi, China had shown interest in forming joint venture with IPTN to produce aircraft. (*)