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Jokowi promotes new agendas at ASEAN-Japan Partnership Commemorative Summit
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I
ndonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, along with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, led discussions on the "Agenda Partners for Co-creation of Economy and Society of the Future" on Dec. 17th, during the ASEAN-Japan Partnership Commemorative Summit at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Japan, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the partnership.
The summit spanned two days, from Dec. 17 to 18, 2023, with Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto accompanying President Jokowi in the meeting.
"The five decades of this ASEAN-Japan partnership have been the driving force behind our regional economy”, President Jokowi stated, starting the co-creation agenda.
As the fourth-largest trading partner of ASEAN, Japan plays a crucial role in the region's trade dynamics. In 2022 alone, the total trade value between ASEAN and Japan reached a total of US$268 billion, representing around 7 percent of ASEAN's overall trade for the previous year. Moreover, Japan also served as the second-largest foreign investor in ASEAN in 2022, with investments totaling $26.7 billion.
The fifty-year partnership between ASEAN and Japan has been a crucial force in preparation toward future cooperation, to make the region more stable and resilient amid dynamic geopolitical and geo-economic changes.
At the summit, President Jokowi revealed that the ASEAN-Japan partnership would focus on two priorities.
The first focus is strengthening food and energy security. Cooperation in food security will be reinforced through collaborative efforts which enhance productivity and food supply chains through the utilization of technology development which ensures the availability of fertilizers and aligns standards for agricultural commodities.
While in the energy sector, Japan plays a vital role in helping ASEAN accelerate the transition to fair, inclusive and affordable renewable energy.
"The ASEAN-Japan cooperation can be directed toward promoting low-carbon technology and investment, which includes the development of the ASEAN Green Supergrid and carbon economy utilization," President Jokowi emphasized.
The second focus is accelerating digital transformation. ASEAN recognizes the enormous potential of the digital economy within the region, which is projected to grow to USD 1 trillion by 2030. Furthermore, this digit can potentially reach USD 2 trillion if an agreement on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework (DEFA) is met, which was initially launched on September 3, 2023, in Jakarta.
DEFA is currently in the first-round negotiations as of December 1, 2023, and is targeted for completion by 2025.
To harness the potential of the ASEAN digital economy, the ASEAN-Japan partnership is prioritizing up-skilling and re-skilling programs, as well as strengthening digital connectivity infrastructure, which includes the integration of SMEs into the digital ecosystem. Indonesia, for instance, has set a target to digitize 30 million SMEs by 2024.
President Jokowi also expressed his hope for Japan's support in establishing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Support Unit in Jakarta. At the national level, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs is currently coordinating the National Action Plan for the utilization of the RCEP Agreement which focuses on four key aspects, these being; RCEP agreement utilization, regulation harmonization with RCEP, trade facilitation, and the enhancement of technology mastery and human resource quality.
This action plan is targeted to be completed in the first semester of 2024 in the form of a Presidential Regulation.
"ASEAN-Japan partnership must be oriented towards the future of the people and the region. To achieve this, cooperation must be inclusive, involving businesses, society, and the younger generation in building a sense of ownership," President Jokowi, concluded.
This article was published in collaboration with Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Republic of Indonesia
