Malaysia is one of the largest investors for West Java. This is reflected in Malaysia’s investment realization in West Java, which in the last five years reached Rp47 trillion.
Vice Governor of West Java Erwan Setiawan revealed that, besides the investment sector, the close relationship between Malaysia and West Java is also visible in the tourism and trade sectors. From the tourism sector, visits by Malaysian tourists to West Java contribute 12.5% of the total foreign tourists coming to West Java.
“In the trade sector, Malaysia is included in the top 10 export destination countries for various commodities from West Java. West Java’s trade balance to Malaysia even recorded a surplus of 1.1 billion US dollars,” said Erwan during the opening of the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) ASEAN on Jalan Diponegoro, Bandung City, Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Through SIBS, Erwan invited more Malaysian business actors to invest and collaborate in West Java. He mentioned that the population of West Java has currently reached 51 million people, exceeding the population of Malaysia which stands at 35 million people.
According to Erwan, strategic infrastructure also continues to be prepared to support connectivity between regions and smooth the distribution of goods. In fact, West Java’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2026 reached 5.79%, or was above the national economic growth average.
Erwan mentioned that to maintain the positive momentum, the West Java Provincial Government is committed to supporting and encouraging sustainable and inclusive investment growth. This effort is realized through five main strategies, namely strengthening the stability of the investment climate, empowering MSMEs, accelerating infrastructure development, preparing a competent workforce, and increasing investment incentives.
Opportunities and Challenges
Mayor of Bandung M Farhan emphasized the commitment to make Bandung City and West Java the main gateway for investment and cooperation in Southeast Asia. Farhan emphasized the importance of concrete collaboration from both regions, especially in terms of connectivity infrastructure.
One of the pieces of good news is that Husein Sastranegara Airport will resume serving a number of flights. In addition to domestic flights, there are three international routes, namely Singapore, Johor Bahru, and Kuala Lumpur.
However, behind the optimism of opening routes and investment, Farhan reminded of global challenges related to the potential rise in world oil prices. This is predicted to make airplane ticket prices surge and potentially hold back the public’s enthusiasm to fly.
“The challenge is not how to fix oil prices. Rather, it is how to make West Java, Selangor, Petaling Jaya, and Bandung City the most attractive destinations for investment and tourism even though airplane tickets are expensive,” Farhan said.
Chief Minister (Menteri Besar) of Selangor Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said that SIBS ASEAN becomes a path opener for broader business and economic cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia, particularly with West Java. Moreover, the participation from various parties in West Java is extraordinary.
“Hopefully this forum does not only become a mere ceremonial meeting event. Rather, it is able to open more concrete collaboration opportunities in various strategic sectors for both parties,” he said.
SIBS 2026 is not only an event that brings together business actors from Indonesia and Malaysia. The business forum held on July 9-10, 2026, was utilized by the Selangor State Government to introduce the potential of medical tourism to the people of West Java.
Through the Selangor Tourism Promotion Board, the State of Selangor presented 14 exhibitors consisting of international-standard hospitals, the healthcare industry, and the tourism sector. This is part of the strategy to expand the Indonesian market while supporting Visit Selangor Year 2026 (VSY2026).
