President Jokowi Attends APEC Leaders Retreat and Working Lunch

President Jokowi on the sidelines of APEC Summit at APEC Haus, Port Moresby, Sunday (18/11). (Photo: BPMI).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the Leaders Retreat and Working Lunch in the last day of the 2018 APEC Summit at APEC Haus, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sunday (11/18).

During the retreat, President Jokowi conveyed several issues, including infrastructure issues in the region.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, who also attended the meeting, said that the President talked about development issues, with infrastructure as one of the main keys.

“When we talk about infrastructure, it is impossible for us to cover the expenses only from the Government budget alone. Therefore, innovation is needed,” Retno said.

This topic was also conveyed by the President and was discussed at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bali, 5 weeks ago. Blended finance is an innovation that needs support.

In the forum, President Jokowi said that the world has entered the digital era where e-commerce and social media are widely used.

“Therefore, the President said there was a big shift from consumption of goods to consumption of experience. Consumers throughout the world are eyeing adventure and entertainment experiences,” said Retno.

Today, the growth of world tourism is around 7 percent or twice the growth of world economy which is only around 3.5 percent.

Bloomberg estimated that in the next 15 to 25 years, 1 of 4 new jobs comes from the tourism sector.

“The data shows that it is important to put forward tourism,” Retno continued.

“Besides the digital economy and maritime economy, President Jokowi proposed that tourism and lifestyle issues could be included in the post-Bogor APEC agenda,” said the Minister.

Furthermore, President Jokowi also conveyed Indonesia’s support for regional economic integration through a focus on multilateral trade and the process towards an inclusive and equitable Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) as APEC plays an important role as an incubator of new ideas and as a road guide.

“Therefore, the President said Indonesia is committed to achieve Bogor Goals in 2020 and supporting the preparation of the post-2020 APEC vision,” she added.

Furthermore, Retno said that the differences between US and China on the multilateral trading system (MTS) are very large. Some countries, including Indonesia, are trying to bridge these differences but unfortunately failed to address the issue.

“We tried to bridge the differences through various kinds of talks, but it cannot be done until the meeting was ended. Therefore, the Chair of APEC will reflect the situation (of the meeting),” she concluded. (BPMI / EN)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Edited by: Lulu Wuliarti