According to Esti, the completion of several negotiation and cooperation settlements will be pushed this year as a strategic step to increase trade as well as strengthen the resilience of the supply chain in the region.
"Various negotiations and cooperations, as economic achievements under the authority of the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM), are expected to be strategic steps to increase trade and strengthen the resilience of the supply chain in the region," she said at the 31st ASEAN Economic Ministers' Retreat in Johor, Malaysia, on Friday.
Malaysia has listed nine initiatives as economic priorities during its chairmanship. They include the completion of Protocol 2 to the amendment to the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).
They further include substantial completion of the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), the declaration of ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Economic Cooperation, and substantial completion of negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).
ASEAN ministers began the meeting in Johor with a consultation with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) on several priority initiatives.
The initiatives included increasing trade and investment, economic integration and growth, inclusive and sustainable regional development, as well as digital transformation.
The ministers also discussed the report of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) on the semiconductor industry supply chain in ASEAN to map the industry and support the formulation of more effective and strategic policies.
The consultation session concluded with a discussion on the results of a presentation by McKinsey regarding regional developments and the global economic outlook.
On the sidelines of the AEM Retreat, Deputy Minister Esti also held bilateral meetings with several ASEAN member countries and partners, including Malaysia and Singapore.
The meetings covered several bilateral issues and sought to explore new cooperation opportunities as well as strategies to encourage the completion of several negotiations at the ASEAN level.
"During the bilateral meeting, some ASEAN ministers are ready to support Indonesia's non-paper proposal in responding to global trade challenges," she informed.
By utilizing existing agreements in the ASEAN+1 and RCEP forums, she said, ASEAN needs to increase its centrality to strengthen regional economic integration.
She added that Malaysia—as the chair of ASEAN—has a key role in leading this collective effort.
The AEM Retreat began with the Preparatory SEOM meeting on February 26, 2025, to finalize the documents to be ratified by the ministers.
Indonesia, as the coordinating country for the ASEAN-Canada FTA (ACAFTA) negotiations, reported on the progress of the talks, which are also targeted to be substantially completed this year.
Related news: Indonesia calls for new economic bloc to ensure regional stability
Related news: Indonesia urges ASEAN to design AI education policy
Related news: Indonesia ready to assist ASEAN nations in DEFA implementation
Translator: Maria Cicilia Galuh Prayudhia, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
