"Indonesia is a sovereign country and is too large to align with any particular country. We remain independent," Pandjaitan remarked at a press conference here concerning Indonesia's recent entry into the BRICS economic bloc.
Brazil, the 2025 BRICS chair, officially recognized Indonesia as the bloc's newest full member on Monday (Jan 6). It also commended Indonesia for supporting priority issues brought up during Brazil's chairmanship this year.
The agency chief viewed membership in BRICS as advantageous for Indonesia, which seeks to broaden its market access to other potential markets and help ensure a resilient economy.
Economic resilience will be essential for Indonesia's survival amid global economic challenges, such as the energy crisis in Europe linked to tensions with Russia, China's economic slowdown, and the United States' economic and tariff uncertainties under Donald Trump's incoming presidency.
"We are looking into those global issues carefully," the agency head stated, referring to DEN's advisory function to President Prabowo Subianto in economic policies.
Related news: BRICS membership to boost Indonesia's influence: MPR
As its chief, Pandjaitan affirmed that the DEN employs competent and experienced experts with comprehensive knowledge capable of advising and providing inputs to the president.
Meanwhile, the agency chief highlighted that Indonesia possesses the appropriate capital to evolve into a high-income economy by 2040 and a developed country by 2050. He affirmed that the capital is rooted in advancements in commodity downstreaming and technology innovation, among others.
He remarked that through innovations in seed purification and genome engineering, Indonesia can increase its palm oil production yield from 1.8 tons per hectare to 6-8 tons per hectare, ensuring the country fulfils its 100 million-ton production target annually.
Pandjaitan also expressed confidence that innovations in genome sequencing spearheaded by Indonesian scientists will help the country compete economically with neighboring countries.
Related news: Indonesia to tap BRICS for mining export, says ministry
Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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