TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The former Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was officially inaugurated as the Vice President of Indonesia for the next five-year term on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Together with President Prabowo Subianto, Gibran took over the leadership of former president and vice president, Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin.

After his inauguration, Vice President Gibran was seen immediately engaging in activities and carrying out his duties. Among these were welcoming state guests and inspecting the MRT construction progress in Jakarta. 

Here is a summary of Gibran's first activities as Indonesia’s vice president. 

1. Hosting a Visit from the South Korean PM

Just a few hours after being inaugurated as Vice President, Gibran received a state visit from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Han Duck-soo.

The meeting took place at the Vice Presidential Palace on Sunday night, October 20. Gibran shared about this meeting on his personal Instagram account, @gibran_rakabuming.

"I received and expressed my gratitude for the honorable visit by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Han Duck-soo, at the Vice Presidential Palace on Sunday night. Indonesia and South Korea are committed to strengthening cooperation between the two countries, especially in the downstream industry sector, investment, and IKN (Nusantara Capital City)," stated Gibran in his post.

2. Welcoming the Vice President of China

A day after his inauguration, Gibran once again welcomed a state visit. This time, Gibran hosted Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the Vice Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, October 21.

Vice President Han Zheng was in Jakarta to attend the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran the previous Sunday. Gibran introduced authentic Indonesian cuisine while hosting a luncheon during the Chinese VP state visit.

Prior to the lunch, Gibran and Han Zheng engaged in a conversation in the reception room. During their meeting, Han Zheng offered his congratulations on the inauguration of Prabowo and Gibran.

Both committed to strengthening the friendship between Indonesia and China. In 2025, Indonesia and China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Gibran and Han Zheng also encouraged increased economic cooperation and the enhancement of human resource capacities between the two countries.

After the meeting, Gibran introduced Indonesian specialties to Han Zheng, including jackfruit with salted egg sauce (sukun telur asin), grilled fish cake (otak-otak), Balinese crab salad (lemburi jeruk Bali), spiced grilled chicken (ayam bakar sempyok), grilled grouper from Manokwari, and torch ginger fried rice (kecombrang nasi goreng).

3. Visiting the MRT Construction Project

Gibran also visited the mass rapid transit (MRT) phase 2 construction project in the National Monument (Monas) area, Jakarta, on Monday, October 21.

During the visit, Gibran inspected the progress of the Monas and Thamrin stations construction, which are part of the South-North Phase 2 MRT (HI Roundabout-Kota).

The eldest son of the 7th President, Joko Widodo, shared his visit to the MRT construction site on his social media account. "This project must be completed within schedule, and we must restore its greenery," wrote Gibran in the caption of the photo uploaded on his personal Instagram account, @gibran_rakabuming, on Monday, October 21.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi and Acting Governor of Jakarta Teguh Setyabudi accompanied Gibran during this visit.

They walked through a 350-meter tunnel from Monas Station to Thamrin Station. The tunnel construction has reached 82 percent completion.

Antara, Yudono Yanuar, and Oyuk Ivani Siagian contributed to the writing of this article.

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