An orangutan, chirping birds and a waterfall at ASEAN venue contrast to Jakarta’s pollution outside

JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo will welcome fellow Asian and global leaders with a charming jungle scene of a two-story waterfall, wild orchids and even an orangutan perched up a tree.

The make-believe wasteland arrange in elaborate element within the massive foyer of the Jakarta Convention Center within the capital contains a widescreen video of a yellow beak hornbill gliding throughout an azure sky, swaying leaves and piped-in hen chirps.

It’s a delightful icebreaker for Widodo and his visitors in Jakarta for a week of Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit talks beginning Tuesday.

“Indonesia wants to give the best hospitality,” Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi informed The Associated Press in regards to the distinctive reception for ASEAN leaders and VIPs reminiscent of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The conference heart’s foyer was once off-limits to the general public and a signal barred movies and photos till the jungle spectacle is unveiled.

Indonesia additionally sought after to spotlight ASEAN’s pressing name for environmental coverage and the will to shift to greener power resources, Setiadi mentioned.

Artificial is the one form of jungle that exists in Jakarta. The nearest jungle, house to endangered orangutans, is greater than 1,300 kilometers (greater than 800 miles) away on Borneo island.

The Indonesian capital is likely one of the global’s maximum polluted towns and teems with skyscrapers, site visitors and 11 million folks.

The govt has begun a two-decade challenge to transfer the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, at the island of Borneo, that can contain establishing govt structures and housing from scratch within the house about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta.

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Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this file.