VIENTIANE, Oct 10 — Indonesia's Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has emphasised the importance of government and business sector collaboration in Asean given the significant decline of 8.3 per cent in intra-Asean trade compared to the previous year, reported ANTARA News Agency.
"The intra-Asean trade experienced a significant decline of 8.3 per cent from the previous year, with a value of US$3.5 trillion (RM15 trillion). I would like to re-emphasise the importance of collaboration between the government and the business world among Asean members," he said.
Amin was speaking at the Asean Leaders' Interface with Representatives of the Asean Business Advisory Council of the 44th and 45th Asean Summits in Vientiane, Laos yesterday.
He said he hopes that the Asean business advisory council can connect governments and the business world so that they can play an active role in increasing Asean economic cooperation, especially amid global uncertainty.
In addition, the Asean business advisory board is expected to support Asean economic policies, including the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (Defa), and strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem in the region to achieve the Asean 2045 vision and realise Asean as a centre of growth in the region and the world, he added.
The vice president also lauded the Asean-Indo Pacific Forum and the launch of the Asean-Indo Pacific business network.
Amin is hopeful that the forum will generate benefits for the Asean community.
"I appreciated the holding of the Asean-Indo Pacific Forum and the launch of the Asean Indo-Pacific business network in this year's event. This activity is a concrete implementation of the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific," he said.
Coordinating Minister for Economy Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi accompanied Amin to the 44th and 45th Asean Summits.
The summits carry the theme "Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience", signifying efforts to increase connectivity and resilience to support collective Asean efforts to help the community take advantage of opportunities and overcome current and emerging challenges effectively.
— Bernama
