JAKARTA, Feb 4, Straits Times/ANN - Indonesia will not ban food and beverages imports from China amid the growing spread of the coronavirus, said a close aide of President Joko Widodo, refuting comments by another minister. "No, we have no such plan," Mr Luhut Pandjaitan, coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, told The Straits Times on Monday night (Feb 3) when asked about the plan to ban China's imports. According to a Global Times report, China was not happy with Mr Agus' comments on plans to ban Chinese food imports. China buys coal, stainless steel and palm oil from Indonesia, while South-east Asia's largest economy buys fruit, spices and other food and beverages from China. The number of confirmed deaths from the coronavirus outbreak has spiked to 425, with more than 20,000 confirmed cases in China, according to Chinese authorities on Tuesday.

Source: The Star February 04, 2020 04:07 UTC