Special Economic Zones - A Means to Cultivate Neighborly Relations

The President is scheduled to have a busy few days on Batam Island just off the coast of Singapore including meetings with the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Australia. The meeting with the Australian Prime Minister is to smooth over some otherwise tense relations arising out of the recent public spat over the granting of temporary protection visas to 42 Papuan asylum seekers. There are other important issues that are supposedly on the agenda such as the recent release of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, and one would hope items looking to further develop sound economic relations between the two.