ASEAN, Japan Agree to Establish Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
President Jokowi welcomes Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida in Jakarta, Wednesday (09/06) (Photo by: Media Center of the 43rd ASEAN Summit/Dwi Prasetya/foc)
ASEAN and Japan Wednesday (09/06) have officially agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership. This agreement was adopted at the 26th ASEAN-Japan Summit at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta.
“During the Summit, the two leaders officially agreed to form a comprehensive strategic partnership as outlined in the Joint Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi said in her statement.
In addition, three documents were discussed during the Summit. They are as follows:
- Progress Report of the Revised Implementation Plan of the Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
- Future Design and Action Plan of an Innovative and Sustainable ASEAN-Japan Economic Partnership, outlining a 10-year plan in the sectors of cyber connectivity, human resource development, and innovation.
- ASEAN-Japan Economic Co-Creation Vision, outlining the economic vision of the ASEAN-Japan partnership involving the private sectors, business communities, and scholars.
The Minister further said that the state leaders underscored the importance of maintaining a conducive situation in the region, particularly in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea, while encouraging partnership between ASEAN and Japan in several sectors including green infrastructure development, connectivity, energy transition, and digital economy.
Japan also reinforced its commitment to support the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) by providing funding worth USD100 million through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) 3.0.
“In additon, Japan also launched the Comprehensive Connectivity Initiative during the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum,” the Minister added.
Furthermore, Retno said that both leaders agreed to hold ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit marking 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations this December in Tokyo.
(BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (AP/MMB)
