A forum attended by 250 companies from Ningbo and Indonesia is held in Ningbo on Nov 8, aiming to advance economic and trade ties between the two areas. [Photo/chinanews.com]

A forum attended by 250 companies from Ningbo and Indonesia was held in Ningbo on Nov 8, aiming to advance economic and trade ties between the two areas.

The event comes as part of efforts by local authorities to take advantage of the second China International Import Expo recently held in Shanghai.

Astrid Maharani, managing director at Good Indonesian Food, part of the Culinary and Shopping Acceleration Team at the Ministry of Tourism in Indonesia, delivered a keynote speech on the development of the local retail industry in Indonesia and the export of Indonesian brand products to China.

On the sidelines of the forum, a dazzling array of Indonesian goods including coffee, candy, and cookies was also displayed at the conference venue.

Ningbo has been riding the wave of ever closer Sino-Indonesian trade links since the establishment of the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area in 2010.

Official data shows that the city's foreign trade with Indonesia amounted to $2.331 billion yuan in 2018, soaring 42.5 percent year-on-year.

Gu Weijun, general manager of Ningbo Huamao International Trade Co, said that his company imports coals from Indonesia and exports machinery to the country.

To date, the company has imported $30 million worth of coal from Indonesia, Gu said. He also revealed that they are mulling plans to set up a branch office in the country so as to better tap into the local market.