TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
JICA calls for stronger unity in ASEAN to exert bigger power
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has called members of ASEAN to further embrace their unity as a group so it may exert a larger influence internationally
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) president Shinichi Kitaoka (third right) speaks to a group of visiting ASEAN journalists on June 23 about its future development strategy in the region. He calls for stronger unity in the 10-member bloc. (JP/Linda Yulisman)
T
he Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has called members of ASEAN to further embrace their unity as a group so it may exert a larger influence internationally.
Learning from the European Union (EU), a common diplomacy instead of economic integration was the best result from the bloc’s regional unification, said JICA president Shinichi Kitaoka.
“If it [ASEAN] is divided into several groups or divided by some elements into a couple of groups, then you will lose your power. I really hope that it will develop more as an entity,” he told a group of visiting journalists from ASEAN countries on Friday.
(Read also: Indonesia told to strengthen role in ASEAN)
Kitaoka further said that JICA also expected to see a higher expansion of middle class across Southeast Asia, which he considers the foundation of sound economy and politics regionally.
He also asserted that going forward, the agency would continue its commitment to support ASEAN’s economic growth through assistance in infrastructure development.
JICA funneled 13.61 trillion yen (US$122.29 billion) in overseas development assistance (ODA) comprising loans, grants and technical cooperation to ASEAN in 2015, according to the latest data available.
Indonesia is its largest beneficiary with 4.72 trillion yen, followed by the Philippines with 2.44 trillion yen and Vietnam with 2.39 trillion yen.
Currently, the agency supports the development of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and Patimban Port in Subang, West Java, among other projects.
