Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday, Sept. 14. One of the focus of the discussions is to increase Germany and Indonesia business cooperation in the economic sector.  “We have discussed a number of issues and agreed to strengthen cooperation in the economic sector. Germany is the fourth largest investor in Indonesia and the largest trading partner of Europe. In the tourism sector, there is a significant increase in German tourist visit to Indonesia in 2017,” said Retno.  Minister Retno and Minister Maas both welcomed the plan of implementation of the Asia Pacific Business Conference, which will be held on November 2-3 in Indonesia. The event will be attended by a number of CEOs and businessmen from Germany.  “This forum can make our businessmen see the potential of close relations between Indonesia and Germany,” said Retno.  The two ministers have opened the 2018 Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) Chapter Berlin meeting in Europe about Germany and Indonesia business cooperation. It carries the theme of democracy and migration, which considered very appropriate to solve challenges and discuss democratic development in the Asian and European regions faced by the two countries at this time.  officially started in 1952 when the diplomatic relation were established, however the relations between the people of Germany and Indonesia has stretched back to 19th-century, when numbers of German nationals migrated to Dutch East Indies.  Germany has an embassy in Jakarta while Indonesia has an embassy in Berlin. The relations between two nations are notable as both holds significant geopolitical influences in each region, Germany is the largest economy in the European Union, and Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN. Both nations are the member of G-20 major economies.  According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 60% of Indonesians view Germany's influence positively, one of the most favorable perceptions of Germany in Asia Pacific after South Korea's and Australia's view.