Airlangga Says ASEAN Must Be Integrated To Other Countries, Especially Canada

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto (Photo: dock. Coordinating Ministry for the Economy)

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that ASEAN as an area must be integrated with other regions in the world.

According to Airlangga, Canada is one of the countries of the Indo-Pacific region, where the position of ASEAN is central. With Canada becoming a strategic speech partner for ASEAN, this is one of the implementations of elements of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

"The implementation of AOIP elements will make ASEAN able to establish inclusive cooperation for the creation of common peace and prosperity," said Airlangga in his statement, Friday, October 11.

Airlangga said that America's candidacy as a front page (front yard) has enormous potential, including the development of clean energy technology, education, critical minerals and market access to America.

On the occasion, in front of Prime Minister Trudeau and all ASEAN state leaders, Airlangga conveyed an innovative idea to increase ASEAN's cooperation with Canada in the future.

Menurut Airlangga pertama, yaitu peningkatan kerja sama ekonomi dengan mengadap teknologi transisi bersih atau clean technology yang banyak berkembang di Kanada. Di mana Kanada diharapkan sebagai mitra strategis ASEAN untuk mengembangkan teknologi enerti bersih melalui pendanaan dan alih teknologi.

Furthermore, Airlangga encourages cooperation in energy transition technology, such as Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and palm oil-based fuel.

Meanwhile, SMR is a small and medium scale nuclear energy technology that is currently being developed in the world as a cheaper and safer clean source. Indonesia itself has started to conduct a SMR assessment.

In addition, Airlangga expects the completion of free trade negotiations. Free Trade Agreement Negotiations between Canada and ASEAN need to be completed by next year, in order to improve market access and strengthen global supply chains, including critical minerals," said Airlangga.

Airlangga said the second, namely cooperation in the field of food security. In 2023, ASEAN and Canada agreed on the ASEAN-Canada Joint Leaders' Statement on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crisis which is the basis for a joint commitment to strengthening food and nutrition security. As a follow-up, Canada has opened the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila.

"It needs to be used to encourage concrete cooperation, including collaboration of agricultural technology and a sustainable food system to ensure smooth supply of fertilizers," said Airlangga.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit meeting succeeded in adopting the Joint Leaders' Statement on Enhancing ASEAN Connectivity and Resilience as a commitment to strengthen regional connectivity and resilience.

To note, ASEAN and Canada's economic relations have generally increased in the last five years despite being also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the economic slowdown in 2023.

Adapun nilai total perdagangan Kanada dan ASEAN tercatat sebesar 20,27 miliar dolar AS di tahun 2023, naik dari 17,15 miliar dolar AS di tahun 2019. Investasi Kanada ke ASEAN juga menunjukkan performa relatif stabil, yaitu pada kisaran 3 miliar dolar AS hingga 4 miliar dolar AS, kecuali di tahun 2022 sebesar 825 juta dolar AS.