VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), along with several ministers, discussed issues concerning trade activities on online platforms, including social media platforms, such as TikTok, at a limited meeting held at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.

"(The meeting) was about trade on electronic systems. Yes, (including) TikTok," Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi remarked at the palace.

However, the minister did not divulge further details on the points discussed by the president and his ministers in the limited meeting.

Meanwhile, Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan explained that the limited meeting was conducted to discuss trade activities on digital platforms in a comprehensive manner.

"Yes, (the meeting discussed) digital (trade). The meeting was about e-commerce," Hasan stated.

Earlier, on Saturday (September 23), President Jokowi expressed his opinion regarding the negative effects resulting from trade activities conducted on social commerce platforms, such as TikTok Shop, which combine the functions and features of e-commerce and social media platforms that had been gaining popularity in Indonesia.

The head of state opined that the Chinese digital application should have continued to function as a mere social media platform and not as an online shopping platform like e-commerce since it harmed domestic businesses, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"This (social commerce) has affected the production of MSMEs and (conventional) markets. It (TikTok) is supposed to be a social media (platform), not an economic media," he remarked after inspecting a road repair project in North Penajam Paser District, East Kalimantan.

Furthermore, President Jokowi noted that the government had prepared a regulation that aims to control trade activities conducted on social media platforms in order to control price competition and protect MSMEs and merchants in conventional markets.

"The regulation is still in the hands of the Trade Ministry. Every other thing is complete. We just need to wait for the Trade Ministry to approve (the regulation)," he pointed out.  (Antaranews)