"I received the leadership baton as Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Washington D.C. (ACW) from the Cambodian Ambassador to the United States Keo Chhea," Roeslani said in a statement received in Jakarta, Friday.
Roeslani, who concurrently serves as Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), was appointed as Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Washington D.C. on August 16, 2023.
The ambassador said he is ready to continue the legacy and programs prepared by the earlier leaders, including increasing ACW's strategic involvement with the US Government, congress, the academic sector, the private sector, and other partners.
"I am grateful to receive this mandate, assignment, and trust as a form of responsibility to advance the involvement of the ASEAN community in the field of investment and trade with America," he said.
Ambassador Roeslani stated that his duties as the Chairman of ACW are in accordance with Indonesia that currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship for 2023 and is the country coordinator for the ASEAN-US partnership.
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) consists of Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in 2022, Indonesia had recorded a surplus in trade balance with the US of 16.57 billion US dollars. Last year, the value of Indonesia's exports to the US was recorded at 28.18 billion US dollars, while the value of Indonesia's imports from the US was recorded at 11.61 billion US dollars.
Meanwhile, data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) showed that the United States ranks sixth as the country that invests the most in Indonesia in 2022, with a value of 2.12 billion US dollars.
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Translator: Kelik Dewanto, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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