"We must strengthen the credibility of the multilateral system. We need to make sure that the international law is being implemented without double standards," he expounded here on Tuesday.
He said that the multilateral system in Bretton Woods institutions, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as global trade institutions, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), needs to be reformed and enhanced.
He added that many countries nowadays prefer the regionalism concept because the multilateral trading system and the trade dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO are not working as per expectations.
"If the multilateral trading system is not working as it should be, while the dispute resolution mechanism is not being implemented properly, what is left? That is why the countries turn to regionalism," Dian said.
However, the implementation of the regionalism concept comes with its own challenges, such as maintaining regional resilience against global disruption, he added.
The prevailing global situation prompted Indonesia to seek to strengthen regional stability in Southeast Asia when the country held the chairmanship of ASEAN last year.
"Therefore, when we held the chairmanship, we made sure to discuss all thematic issues, including rivalries between countries. Previously, we were reluctant to discuss it, but now we are not anymore," he said.
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Reporter: Uyu Septiyati Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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