VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Leaders of ASEAN and the People's Republic of China (PRC) agreed to take their cooperation to the next level. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the Leaders agreed to strengthen economic cooperation through enhancing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0.

"Why 3.0, because it includes new cooperation for example in the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain. The Leaders also welcomed the guidelines for accelerating COC (Code of Conduct) negotiations in the South China Sea," she said in a statement delivered in Jakarta, Wednesday (6/9/2023).

Retno further said that the ASEAN-RRT Summit produced several cooperation in various sectors, which were contained in 6 documents.

Two documents adopted are the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Mutually Beneficial Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) which contains an agreement to encourage concrete cooperation on the implementation of AOIP, including in the fields of maritime, energy transition, infrastructure, smart cities, e-commerce, and MSMEs, as well as the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Deepening Agricultural Cooperation.

"This contains a cooperation agreement that makes agriculture a new growth engine to build food security," she said.

While the 4 documents noted are:

1. ASEAN-China Action Plan on Green Agricultural Development. Aims to increase the competitive value of ASEAN agricultural products in the middle of the global supply chain.

2. ASEAN-China Joint Initiative on Enhancing Cooperation on E-Commerce. Aims to promote e-commerce cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and reduce regional development gaps.

3. Guidelines for Accelerating the Early Conclusion of an Effective and Substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Aims to accelerate the completion of COC negotiations with effective and substantive outcomes.

4. Joint Initiative on Advancing the China-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Enhancing Program. Aims to strengthen technology transfer cooperation and joint research on strategic issues such as Industry 4.0, digital infrastructure, and clean energy. (VOI/Andy)