Indonesian Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti said Indonesia could raise the (illegal) fishing dispute between Indonesia and China - that occurred near the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea over the weekend - at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if China's authorities fail to respect Indonesia’s sovereignty over its sea territory. Last Saturday (19/03) a Chinese ship (Kway Fey 10078) was spotted fishing illegally within Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone in the South China Sea. Its crew was arrested and ship confiscated. However, two armed Chinese coast guard ships arrived to intervene.

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Although infrastructure development across the Indonesian nation is center of attention in the media, President Joko Widodo will not neglect the family planning program. Instead he seeks to revive the nation's family planning program. An effective family planning program is one of the key strategies to boost future economic growth because a low population growth rate translates into a higher per capita gross domestic product, which translates into higher incomes, higher savings, higher investment and implies a decline in overall poverty.

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After experiencing a two-month delay due to permitting and concession trouble, the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung fast train should be able to commence soon. Indonesian Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan confirmed on Wednesday (16/03) that his ministry agreed to grant a 50-year concession period to the Chinese-Indonesian consortium named Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina (KCIC). The granting of this concession means that KCIC should be able to secure the necessary construction and business permits soon. The USD $5.1 billion Jakarta-Bandung railway (in West Java) is one of the mega-infrastructure projects of Indonesia.

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Indonesia's economy to expand 4.9 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 2016, slightly up from a 4.8 percentage point (y/y) growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. On Tuesday (15/03) Luis Breuer, IMF Mission Chief for Indonesia, said the Washington-based lender projects limited growth (+0.1 percent) of Indonesia's private consumption this year. Regarding growth of investment and government spending in 2016, the IMF holds a more positive view. On the same day, the World Bank cut its forecast for Indonesia's 2016 GDP growth by 0.2 percent to 5.1 percent.

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