“The meeting between President Xi and President Trump has created a more positive background and mood for talks because their discussion produced excellent results,” Asia-Pacific and Africa Director General Santo Darmosumarto told ANTARA in China on Tuesday (May 19).
He made the statement after attending the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Shanghai on May 18-19, following the Xi-Trump engagements in Beijing on May 14-15.
“When Indonesia arrived here for APEC SOM, we sensed a more conducive atmosphere. The US and Chinese delegations echoed a similar sentiment, voicing high appreciation for positive results from their summit, which were expected to spill over to APEC talks,” Darmosumarto said.
He acknowledged that APEC forums remain marked by differing stances among economies, noting Indonesia’s insistence on preserving a multilateral trade system while the US appears to move in an opposing direction often grounded in tariffs.
The Xi-Trump meeting, he continued, is expected to spur initiatives and deliverables that align with the agenda set by China in its APEC chairmanship this year.
Furthermore, the official also emphasized the importance of China steering the forum while taking into account priorities established during previous chairmanships, including those of South Korea, Peru, and the US.
“Indonesia remains committed to endorsing an open trade system while pursuing national interests. In other words, we do not favor haphazardly opening all sectors because there are many that need to be protected to shield national industries,” he stated.
Darmosumarto affirmed that Indonesia recognizes the need to adopt a balanced approach to trade to prevent harm to domestic businesses.
Established in 1989, APEC acts as a multilateral economic forum gathering Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.
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Translator: Desca Lidya, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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