Indonesia to call for regional cohesiveness, economic inclusiveness at ASEAN, G20 summits

Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-19 21:47:02|Editor: Wu Qin
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JAKARTA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has planned to call for regional cohesiveness and economic inclusiveness at the upcoming ASEAN and G20 summits.

The agendas of issues brought to the summits were worked out in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo here on Wednesday.

Conveying Indonesia's agendas for the 34th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be held from June 22 to 23 in Thailand, the president said that his country would call on the ASEAN member countries to improve cohesiveness in the regional bloc in anticipating impacts of the trade tension between China and the United States.

"It is very important to ask for all ASEAN countries to do so in a bid to preserve the region's economic stability," the president said.

China and ASEAN has signed a free trade agreement which has apparently boosted the trade between the two sides in the past years.

China becomes ASEAN's largest market at present and ASEAN is China's third largest market in its global trade. Under the free trade agreement, China and ASEAN expect to see up to 1 trillion U.S. dollars in their two-way trade by 2020.

Besides the call, President Widodo said that Indonesia would also highlight the regional handling of sea waste issue and the acceleration of peace process in Myanmar's conflict-ridden Rakhine State at the ASEAN Summit.

For the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan later this month, Widodo said that Indonesia would highlight problems lingering in global economic and financing sectors, particularly in investment.

Development of digital economy and artificial intelligence, social gap handling, infrastructure quality, human resources and women empowerment issues would also be highlighted by the Indonesian delegation at G20 Summit.

"We must use the (forum) well to grab the available opportunities, especially those which can strengthen the state's economy and national interest," he said.

Leaders of G20 members will meet in Osaka from June 28 to June 29.

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