President Jokowi Outlines Priorities of ASEAN-Japan Economic Partnership

President Jokowi chairs the fourth session of the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation with the theme “Partners for Co-creation of Economy and Society of the Future,” at the Okura Hotel, Tokyo, Japan on Sunday (12/17). (Source: BPMI Setpres)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Sunday (12/17), chaired the fourth session of the Commemorative Summit for the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation at the Okura Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, with the theme “Partners for Co-creation of Economy and Society of the Future”. On the Summit, President Jokowi outlined several priorities for ASEAN-Japan economic partnership.

One of the priorities was the strengthening of food and energy resilience. Regarding food sector, the President was of the view that ASEAN and Japan must enhance collaboration to improve productivity and sustainability by developing a technology that can help ensure fertilizer availability and by aligning with agricultural commodity standards.

In regard to the energy sector, the President stated that Japan plays a crucial role in assisting ASEAN in accelerating energy transition, including the establishment of the Asia Zero Emission Center, as announced by the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida.

“The ASEAN-Japan cooperation can also be directed towards promoting investment and low-carbon technology transfer, including the development of the ASEAN Green Supergrid and the utilization of carbon economy,” said the President.

Another priority is the acceleration of digital transformation. Based on the data, ASEAN has a huge untapped potential for digital economy. It is estimated to reach US$1 trillion by 2030 and the figure could reach US$2 trillion with the launching of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

“Hence, the partnership with Japan for up-skilling and re-skilling of human resources and digital connectivity infrastructure must become a priority,” stated the President.

President Jokowi further explained that integrating micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into the digital ecosystem is crucial to expanding market access and strengthening MSMEs’ resilience. According to the President, the ASEAN Japan Center can help facilitate this transformation. (BPMI SETPRES) (AS/MMB)