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Jokowi to speak on sustainable development
Retno LP Marsudi (JP/Ben Latuihamallo)President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to join leaders of the world’s major economies in the upcoming Group of 20 Summit, where he is scheduled to deliver speeches on sustainable development and the digital economy
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Retno LP Marsudi (JP/Ben Latuihamallo)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to join leaders of the world’s major economies in the upcoming Group of 20 Summit, where he is scheduled to deliver speeches on sustainable development and the digital economy.
Jokowi is also expected to hold bilateral talks with various state leaders on the sidelines of the summit, slated to take place on Friday and Saturday, although no specific schedule has been set yet, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The President will make his diplomatic foray to Japan’s port city of Osaka on Friday to attend the two-day international forum, which will be held amid concerns of a lengthy trade war between the United States and China, as well as heightening tensions in the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Wednesday that Jokowi was scheduled to be a lead speaker in one of four meetings in the summit that would specifically discuss inequality, education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The main theme [of Jokowi’s speech] will be inclusiveness and sustainable development,” Retno said. “The President is also set to speak in another session related to the digital economy.”
According to the ministry, the G20 Summit will bring together state leaders and other guests in four sessions, each focused on the global economy, trade and investment conditions; digital economy innovations and infrastructure quality; employment, women’s empowerment and SDGs; and climate change.
The digital economy and sustainable development were a central theme of Jokowi’s election campaigns.
Recently reelected for a second term, Jokowi frequently spoke about both topics during his first five years in office.
Indonesia boasts at least three notable homegrown unicorns, or startup companies valued at over US$1 billion, including e-commerce companies Tokopedia and Bukalapak as well as airline ticketing and hotel booking service Traveloka.
Meanwhile, homegrown ride-hailing firm Go-Jek recently surpassed unicorn level and has been classified a decacorn with a valuation of over $10 billion.
Outgoing Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said in a separate press briefing on Wednesday that the digital economy would be one of the priority topics discussed by G20 leaders in the upcoming summit.
“This is our chance to continue developing the digital economy industry, so that we will grow more unicorns in Indonesia,” Arrmanatha said.
In order to push forward the digital economy agenda, Jokowi is scheduled to express Indonesia’s endorsement of a proposal by Japan regarding secured digital data exchange, better known as Data Free Flow With Trust, during the summit, Arrmanatha said.
“This [proposal] is part of our efforts to support a free flow of data between digital platforms while regulating and ensuring a secure data exchange.”
Indonesia has so far received at least 16 requests for bilateral meetings from members of the G20, such as South Korea, Australia, Canada, Turkey and Brazil, as well as non-G20 members, including Senegal and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A request for a meeting with Jokowi has also come from David R. Malpass, the new president of the World Bank Group.
However, as of Wednesday, Retno could not confirm which parties would have bilateral meetings with Jokowi because related officials from both sides are still organizing their respective schedules.
Retno said Indonesia would raise various issues at the bilateral meetings but declined to disclose further details, saying that Indonesia was still in the process of arranging the meetings.
“There is also a plan [to have a bilateral meeting] with Japan, but it is very challenging to schedule at time with the country because Japan is the chairman [of the summit],” she said.
Indonesia is also set to participate in other discussions on wide-ranging topics during the summit, including on international taxation cooperation, infrastructure financing and issues concerning technology, such as artificial intelligence.
The G20 Summit is expected to produce several agreements, including the Osaka Leaders Declaration, which would, among other things, underline issues surrounding the digital economy; the G20 High Level Principle on Quality Investor to Investment; and the G20 Fukuoka Policy Priorities for Financial Inclusion, Arrmanatha added.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that concerns over trade, conflict and oil would dominate the G20 Summit, with attention focused on a meeting between the leaders of the US and China.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet for the first time in seven months to discuss deteriorating ties between the world’s two largest economies.
However, prospects of progress look slim, as neither side has given ground after talks broke down in May.
Many G20 members have a stake in the outcome because the row has disrupted global supply chains, slowed world growth and stirred expectations of interest rate cuts or other stimulus measures by some of the group’s central banks.
