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Unified front: Indonesia, New Zealand pledge mutual backing in global forums
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ndonesia has expressed appreciation for New Zealand's cooperation and support for Indonesia's accession process to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This was conveyed by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, during a bilateral meeting with New Zealand's Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor, as part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) meetings on Nov. 14.
During the meeting, both ministers discussed the successful outcomes of the current IPEF Ministerial Meeting in San Francisco, which has seen the signing of agreements for Pillar II (Supply Chains), the completion of Pillar III (Clean Economy) and Pillar IV (Fair Economy).
In the trade sector, O'Connor discussed the implementation of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). Trade Ministers from four ASEAN member countries, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, alongside Australia and New Zealand, signed the Second Protocol of the AANZFTA at the ASEAN Economic Ministers – Closer Economic Relations (AEM-CER) Consultation in Semarang on Aug. 21.
"Indonesia has completed all domestic processes for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership [RCEP] and is currently exploring opportunities to participate in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership [CPTPP]," said Airlangga.
The two ministers also discussed cooperation in halal certification between the two countries to support increased trade, particularly in food products and especially beef. Both countries advocate for a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between Indonesia and New Zealand.
Marking the 65th year of bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand, both ministers also agreed to mutually support various multilateral forums, such as the upcoming 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and support for Indonesia's accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Furthermore, the ministers discussed the continuation of negotiations for the IPEF in the coming year.
