"Likewise, the non-oil/non-gas exports in the January-August 2017 period also rose by 17.73 percent to $98.76 billion. The increase is fairly high as compared to the same period last year," the president stated, in his opening address at the 32th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), held at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in Tangerang district, Banten province, on Wednesday.
The export hike is the result of joint efforts between the government and private sectors, in addition to the infrastructure development and connectivity that the government has pursued in the past three years, he noted.
With the progress, Indonesia has also managed to improve its global competitive index, set by the World Economic Forum (WEF), from the 41st to 36 position, he remarked.
"We should be self-confident and optimistic when we hear that our rating has improved. There should never be pessimists among us. In case of problems, let us solve them. If we still have something to improve, we should improve it," he explained.
In a press statement released on Wednesday, Trade Minister Engartiasto Lukita believed that Indonesia was ready to become a supplier of resources to global business agents in a sustainable manner.
"The main focus of TEI is the long-term and international-scale business-to-business transactions. The ultimate goal of TEI is to increase Indonesias exports," the minister elaborated.
The Trade Ministry expects at least 33 trade contracts to be signed during the five-day expo.
The countries that will send business missions to the expo include Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt, Australia, Thailand, India, Brazil, Britain, and the United States.
The ministry expects the value of trade contracts signed in the expo to reach $223.23 million. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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