Princess Astrid of Belgium Leads Economic Mission

Belgium sent its 5th and biggest economic mission to Indonesia, led by Princess Astrid as the representative of King Philip of Belgium on March 12-19. The Belgian royalty was accompanied by five ministers and a total of 301 participants representing 127 Belgian companies.

Pieter De Crem, the Belgian secretary of state for foreign trade and investment, said that the week-long event would be a momentum and the beginning of a new era for trade relations between both countries. "Because many of the participants are here for the first time, some of them have been reluctant until now to do business in Indonesia," he said, citing the complexity of Indonesia's vast economy as one of the reasons.