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Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto (right), speaks to British Minister of Trade, Greg Hands, in London, the United Kingdom, on April 29, 2024. (ANTARA/HO-Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs/rst) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, and the British Minister of Trade, Greg Hands, have discussed strengthening economic and trade cooperation in London.

"The close relationship between the two countries is marked by the agreement between the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO)," Hartarto said in a statement issued by his office on Tuesday.

He expressed hope that JETCO will soon produce concrete results, including in the energy and digital economy sectors.

During the meeting, Hands highlighted his country's expertise in clean energy and proposed a clean energy collaboration tailored to an archipelagic country like Indonesia.

The implementation of clean energy will later be linked to the management of subsidy policies.

Moreover, Hands said he hopes that trade in dairy products and their derivatives within the JETCO framework will run smoothly despite obstacles in the registration process.

In response, Hartarto underscored Indonesia's deregulation efforts, aimed at streamlining the registration process for milk products and their derivatives.

This initiative supports the growing demand for such products, particularly under the next government program that provides free milk to students.

During the meeting, Hartarto also addressed the impact of British due diligence regulations on Indonesian palm oil products. He expressed hope for fair regulatory treatment.

"Currently, Indonesia is voicing its disagreement with the implementation of European Union policies on sustainable products. Indonesia and Malaysia are working on managing the rules regarding sustainable products," he said.

The two ministers also discussed the idea of free trade cooperation, Indonesia's accession as a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and regional cooperation.

Hartarto said that Indonesia is open to free trade with the United Kingdom//Antara-VOI