Speaking at the Mekong Basin Region Infrastructure Business Forum, he highlighted that Southeast Asian countries have ASEAN as a uniting platform, which is expected to help them tap into bilateral, regional, and global trade potential.
The deputy minister then drew attention to Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong Sub-region, noting that Indonesia has recorded a surplus of US$456 million in trade of non-oil and gas products with Mekong countries.
During the 2019–2023 period, he said, the value of trade between Indonesia and countries in the sub-region grew by 9.14 percent.
He expressed the hope that the business forum, held as part of the 39th Trade Expo Indonesia, would help Indonesia explore trade and investment cooperation opportunities with Mekong countries, especially in the sectors of infrastructure, energy, and food.
"We have been engaging in quite massive trade activities that involve plenty of potential products, such as coal and crude palm oil. However, what I would like to place emphasis on here is collaboration," he said.
In his speech, Sambuaga also pointed out that Indonesia clocked a preferred economic growth rate of 5.05 percent in the second quarter of 2024. In contrast, the national inflation rate stood at just 2.1 percent in August.
He then noted that the country registered a trade surplus of US$18.85 billion in January–August this year.
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Translator: Aji C, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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