"The cooperation agreement must have mutual benefits."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the European Union (EU) have yet to reach an agreement on building industrial strength between the two parties.
"The cooperation agreement must have mutual benefits; there must also be a consensus regarding building Indonesia`s and the European Union`s growing industrial sector," remarked the Director General for International Industrial Cooperation of the Ministry of Industry, Agus Tjahajana, here on Sunday night.
According to Agus, the trade cooperation between ASEAN and China - embodied in the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) - should be a lesson for Indonesia, because the agreement is more profitable for China, as a trading partner.
"It is expected that the bilateral cooperation plan being negotiated by Indonesia with several parties, including the European Union, should not inflict a financial loss such as ACFTA. As a result of the ACFTA, the market share of local products has been swamped by imported products," Agus explained.
Agus noted that Indonesia`s negotiations regarding a plan of cooperation with the EU will not be restricted to any particular sector, but include all sectors of industry in Indonesia.
"Although the industrial sector claims to be ready for the EU-Indonesia cooperation implementation, all industries must be prepared to make products with high competitiveness," he stressed.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), Ade Sudrajat Usman, said that the national textile sector is ready for and supports the imminent implementation of the EU-Indonesia cooperation.
"Our textile exports will rise significantly, and the agreement should be realised so that we won`t miss the moment," Agus added.
(T.A050/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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