President Jokowi Confirms ASEAN-Australia Partnership Mutually Beneficial

By : Herry Barus And Aldo Bella Putra | Sunday, March 18 2018 - 19:05 IWST

President Jokowi at the ASEAN-Australia Summit (Photo Setkab)

INDUSTRY.co.id - Sydney - President Joko Widodo affirmed the partnership between ASEAN and Australia is mutually beneficial, including in trade.

"The ASEAN-Australia partnership should be an example of a mutually beneficial economic partnership, an example of a partnership that brings goodness to the world," President Joko Widodo said during a plenary session of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit at the International Convention Center (ICC) Sydney, Sunday (18/3/2018).

ASEAN-Australia economic cooperation called President has strategic value.

The free trade agreement between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand became the most advanced agreement for ASEAN.

"We note that the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement has an average goods liberalization rate of 93.5 percent," the President said.

Therefore, ASEAN-Australia should be the locomotive of an open and fair free trade system in the region and be reinforced in the wider region.

"The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) is betting our commitment to the multilateral trading system in a mutually beneficial region, I repeat, partnerships that benefit all parties, so we must strengthen our commitment to finish the RCEP negotiations by 2018 this, "added the President.

According to the President, the RCEP can be the world's largest free trade pact. RCEP represents almost half the world's population, 31.6 percent of global Gross Domestic Product and 28.5 percent of world trade.

"Of course, in a deal not everything we want we can achieve, this is the real meaning of cooperation, a 'win-win' approach and not a 'zero-sum'," continued the President.

At the same time, continued the Head of State, RCEP will be the antitya of the global protectionist movement.

"In the future ASEAN-Australia must continue to be an anchor for free and fair trade system for the prosperity and prosperity of our people in the region," said President.

Also present alongside President Jokowi are Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto, State Secretary of Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and Head of BKPM Thomas Lembong