West Papua, Chinese Embassy explore potential cooperation

West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan met with Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong at the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta on Nov. 11, 2025. The meeting discussed cooperation in various fields and potential Chinese investment in West Papua. Mandacan was accompanied at the meeting by, among others, West Papua Regional Secretariat Development Administration Bureau Head Onasius P. Matani, West Papua Environmental Office Head Reymond R.H. Yap, and West Papua Liaison Agency Head Erix I.W. Ayatanoy.

The potential cooperation encompasses new and renewable energy, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), trade expansion, education, culture, tourism, and healthcare. The collaboration on EVs would include EV charging infrastructure, electric buses, and small EVs suitable for Papua. This should be accompanied by training, capacity building, and technology transfer with Chinese EV manufacturers.

The cooperation in trade expansion include strengthening direct export channels to China for fishery products such as tuna, crab, lobster, shrimp, and seaweed; agricultural products such as coconut, coffee, nutmeg, and areca nut; as well as wood and non-timber forest products such as rattan.

In the fields of education, culture, and tourism, cooperation could include providing scholarships and academic partnerships for Papuan students in China, teacher exchanges and training, exploring and establishing the first Confucian Institute in Papua as a center for language and cultural exchange, as well as ecotourism in the Arfak Mountains and the development of Mansinam Island.

In the health care sector, collaboration could be established to improve health human resources through general practitioner and specialist programs, procurement of medical equipment, development of West Papua Provincial Hospitals, as well as provision of floating hospitals in the seven regencies of West Papua.