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PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply

PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply (0)

State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has recovered electric power to Balaraja Extra High Voltage substation in Banten Province, and furthermore it will be channeled to Suralaya steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) to gradually recover its operation to reach its capacity of 2800 MW of electricity.

In addition, power supply from Gandul Extra High Voltage substations in Depok, West Java Province, will be channeled to Muara Karang gas and steam power plant (PLTGU) to supply electricity to the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta.

Acting President Director of PLN Sripeni Inten Cahyani said here on Sunday that the power supply to Jakarta was expected to recover within three hours.

"We apologize for the inconvenience today, and currently all efforts have been made to recover the Java-Bali power system, especially in the area of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta," Cahyani said.

The company has focused on power supply to PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Priok to recover the system in the capital city.

Previously, PLN has recovered the operation of hydro-generated power plant (PLTA) Saguling and PLTA Cirata which are functioned as power stabilizer, and, at the same time, supply the electricity to PLTU Suralaya through Cibinong, Depok, Gandul, Lengkok, Balaraja and Suralaya extra high voltage substations.

PLTU Suralaya is expected to return to its normal operation within six hours to normalize power system in West Java and Banten.

Blackout that affected thousands of homes and public facilities in West Java, Jakarta, and Banten was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang.

"PLN has taken its best efforts and will have evaluation to prevent recurrence of today's incident," Cahyani said.

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30
October

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin at the 2021 Public Information Openness Award. (ANTARA/Putu Indah Savitri) - 

 

 

Information plays a vital role in enlightening people and guiding everyone, even the government, to act and formulate the right policies. Moreover, it helps ensure that the policies established are in accordance with the needs of the field.

Unfortunately, in the midst of the rapid development of technology and the rapid flow of information, many problems related to information have begun to surface.

They may have emerged due to lack of information or too much information, especially information that is contradictory, as seen in the case of hoaxes and disinformation.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics has recorded around 8,814 hoaxes related to general issues, 1,859 hoaxes related to COVID-19, 295 hoaxes related to vaccines, and 42 hoaxes related to public activity restrictions (PPKM) as of July 31, 2021.

According to the official website of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, as of October 26, 2021, the number of hoaxes related to COVID-19 vaccines has risen significantly to touch 2,307.

That number has set alarm bells ringing in the government, a sign that it is aware of the impact of misinformation. 

The disruption caused by hoaxes and disinformation makes it difficult for the government to implement policies effectively since it could create doubt or rejection in the community, observers said. Consequently, this could lead to a reduction in community participation in succeeding government programs, they added.

In addition, hoaxes and disinformation can also cause rifts among various elements of society through increasingly severe polarization, they said.

To end the confusion caused by hoaxes and disinformation, the government must become a source of accurate and transparent information to gain public trust, they added.

Gaining public trust is one of the steps that the government can take to prevent hoaxes from impeding government programs.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has asked all public institutions to continue encouraging the spirit of openness and accountability regarding information to gain public trust and support and strengthen the spirit of a democratic state and nation.

Through the transparency of public information, the government and all public institutions can provide information that will then become a reference for the public to verify the truth and become the basis for them to take action, he said.

For that reason, the Vice President stressed that it is crucial for all public institutions to provide accurate and correct information that is not misleading to the public and develop new innovations consistently to educate the public and support the progress of government programs.

The information that is being provided, he said, should always follow the applicable principles, provisions, and procedures in fulfilling the requirements for public information.

"Government and public institutions must utilize digital technology to disseminate cleaner, more effective, transparent, and accountable government governance," Ma'ruf Amin said at the 2021 Public Information Openness Award online event on October 26, 2021.

Other than being a source of information for the public, transparency in public information could boost public participation and support of various government programs, Amin said.

The government and public institutions should be open to inputs, suggestions, and criticism from the public and respond to them well, politely, ethically, and based on norms, the Vice President said.

Citizens’ active participation in improving the quality of life of the nation and state is a manifestation of a democratic system, he explained. Transparency in public information will encourage better dynamics in politics and the state if it is based on honesty and active support from the citizens, he said.

On the Public Information Transparency Index, Indonesia is in the moderate category with a score of 71.37, head of the Central Information Commission, Gede Narayana, said.

This score exceeds the target score stated in the National Medium-Term Development Plan, which is 35, he added.

Aside from conducting the assessment for Public Information Transparency Index, the commission also conducted monitoring and evaluation with a number of experts from January to December 2020.

Based on the results, 83 public institutions were classified as "informative", 63 public institutions as "on its way to being informative", 54 public institutions as "quite informative", 37 public institutions as "less informative", and 100 public institutions as "not informative".

Narayana said that, in general, public information transparency in Indonesia is aimed at the improvement of management and public information services.

Despite the high score on the index, Narayana affirmed that the commission will not get complacent and will continue to strive to encourage and improve public information services and processing so that all public institutions can be classified as "informative".

However, even though Indonesia has reached the moderate category with its Public Information Transparency Index score and has shown improvement based on monitoring and evaluation results of public institutions, hoaxes and disinformation is still spreading massively among the public, he noted.

For that reason, the government must improve the transparency of public information in each public institution and enhance the community’s digital literacy, especially in welcoming the 2024 general election, which will be held nationwide, he said.

During the 2019 presidential and legislative elections, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics had found as many as 3,356 hoaxes, with 916 hoaxes related to politics and 566 hoaxes related to the government, he said.

Reflecting on the spike in hoaxes regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, he said it is not impossible that hoaxes related to politics and the government may soar more sharply during the general election.

Therefore, gaining public trust through public information transparency and increasing public digital literacy can help anticipate the impact of the upcoming 2024 General Election, he added//ANT

30
October

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. (ANTARA/HO-Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs/rst) - 

The United States Centers for  Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) has downgraded Indonesia to Level 1 (low) category in terms of its COVID-19 situation, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has informed.

"With Indonesia entry's into Level 1 or low from the CDC, it means that the hard work of our government has shown results and appreciated by international agencies," Minister Hartarto said on Friday.

According to information accessed on the CDC's official website, the agency is still urging people traveling to Indonesia to get fully vaccinated. It has also laid down other requirements such as wearing masks and keeping a two meters distance from others.

Hartarto, who is also chairman of the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (KPC-PEN), said the government will ensure the availability of vaccines and their safety.

As of October 28, 2021, Indonesia has received more than 300 million doses of vaccine, either in the form of raw materials or bulk.

KPC-PEN data shows the daily vaccination rate in the country has touched 2 million per day. As of Friday, the total national vaccination reached 189.6 million, with 117.6 million first doses (56.51 percent of the target) and 72 million second doses (34.6 percent of the target) administered.

Based on the supply and low vaccination rate on the weekends, the target for complete vaccination in December 2021 has been set at 281.1 million, as long as the vaccination rate increases consistently from 1.7 million per day in October 2021 to 2.1 million per day in December 2021, Hartarto noted.

The government is indeed continuing to intensify the COVID-19 vaccination program and push vaccination coverage in the regions, the minister stated.

President Joko Widodo has directed that vaccine stocks be distributed as soon as possible to the regions to help the vaccination program run smoothly, he added.

"The Indonesian government has also implemented a mandatory vaccine policy for Indonesian people who want to travel, in an effort to suppress the spread of the COVID-19 virus," Hartarto said//ANT

29
October

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Indonesia needs up to Rp3,500 trillion to reduce the use of coal-fired power plant (PLTU) to achieve the carbon emission reduction target, Deputy Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara has said. At a webinar held here Thursday, he has admitted that the value is quite significant.

Thus, the government had tried to meet the funds needed by using the state revenue from tax payments. It was still not enough.

In addition, Indonesia has been committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent with their own efforts and up to 41 percent with assistance from the international community by 2030.

Hence, the country must reduce the use of PLTUs, considering that they produce a considerable amount of carbon -- around 35 percent of which is generated from the community’s energy consumption.

"Most of our electricity is generated by using coal and diesel. Thus, we still depend on fossil fuels. It makes the sector contribute to high emissions, so we are striving to reduce it," the deputy general explained.

However, decreasing the utilization of PLTUs is difficult as they have been contracted by the state-owned electricity provider PT. PLN (Persero).

"If the power plant is closed while the contract is still effective, we have to provide a lot of compensation,” Nazara added.

Hence, he hopes that Indonesia can receive international support to achieve the reduction target.

The support is expected at Conference of Parties (COP) 26 meeting on climate change in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, 2021.

According to the deputy minister, the meeting can be a milestone for the international community to realize their commitment to assisting the developing countries in achieving various targets related to the issue of climate change. (Antaranews)

29
October

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The Indonesian Government recently organized two business forums targeting Central and Eastern Europeas well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

These two regions are considered potential markets that Indonesia is keen to explore further, especially to restore its economy, which has been pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first business forum with Central and Eastern Europe (INACEE Business Forum) on October 7, 2021 and the third business forum for Latin America and the Caribbean (INA-LAC Business Forum) on October 14-15 were very important for revitalizing trade and investment relations and boost economic cooperation, officials said.

“As we try to recover stronger from the pandemic, one thing is for sure, a business-as-usual approach will not cut it. We need to explore innovative ways to accelerate our recovery and dig deeper into untapped potential,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

In order to do so, Indonesia is encouraging its partners in Europe and Latin America to restore connectivity and global movement of goods, services, and people by exploring a travel corridor arrangement for essential business travelers followed by similar arrangements for tourists, she informed.

Critical to such endeavors of mutual recognition are vaccine certification and travel guidelines for the movement of people between Indonesia and countries in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, she said.

Indonesia has also invited countries from Europe and Latin America to explore the untapped potential in trade relations by looking in other prospective areas and utilizing available tools to enhance economic relations such as MoUs (memorandums of understanding) and trade agreements, she said.

Indonesia has also continued to promote digital economy that can help businesses to connect with each other, converting prospects into leads and leads into business deals, she added.

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi said he believes there is huge potential for trade between Indonesia and Central and Eastern Europe that can drive the nation's exports.

"Nations in Central and Eastern Europe are some of Indonesia's potential trading partners. As a matter of fact, some of them were recorded to be the nation's top 30 primary export destinations," the minister noted in a video presented at the opening of the INACEE Business Forum.

Lutfi deemed that the business forum activity offered an important momentum to intensify economic relations with countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

"We asserted Indonesia's commitment to strengthening trade cooperation with those regions once more. I encourage entrepreneurs in Central and Eastern Europe to further explore business in Indonesia," he expounded.

During the January-August 2021 period, Indonesia's export value to Central Europe grew about 23.6 percent (YoY) to reach US$2.52 billion, he said.

Meanwhile, its exports to Eastern Europe swelled by 58.07 percent (YoY). Its primary export products to the region were rubber, steel, palm oil and its fractions, copper ore, tin, footwear, wood, and charcoal, he added.

The INACEE Business Forum is a series of trade, investment, and tourism promotional activities that are aligned with the INA- LAC Business Forum 2021 as well as Trade Expo Indonesia 2021, he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s trade with Latin America and the Caribbean has moved in a positive direction, with total trade value reaching US$8.25 billion (Rp116.8 trillion) in 2020, he informed.

The total trade value reflects an increase of 6.45 percent compared to trade of US$7.75 billion (Rp110.4 trillion) recorded in 2019, he noted.

However, Indonesia’s market share in the total imports of Latin America and the Caribbean is just 0.5 percent, he pointed out. That means, in Southeast Asia region, it is below Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore in trade with the two regions, he added.

“This is a big untapped potential of trade between our countries,” Lutfi noted.

Referring to the complementary economic scope of Indonesia and the Latin American region, Lutfi said there are many sectors that can be further explored.

Indonesia needs more agricultural products, resource-based products, manufacturing good products and services from Latin America and the Caribbean countries, he informed.

Meanwhile, Indonesia can provide a variety of processed-food products, intermediate goods, and manufactured goods as well, he said.

“We believe that in order to strengthen our trade cooperation, not only we need to sell more, but we also need to buy more,” he added.

Considering that the coronavirus pandemic is still limiting physical interaction, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry organized the two business forums using digital platforms to facilitate virtual trade, investment, and tourism interactions, he noted.

The website ina-access.com features 4,355 export-ready products from 800 companies, half of which are from MSMEs, as well as 133 investment projects from 11 sectors that have been curated by the government, he informed.

By accessing the platform, it is hoped that businesses can find products of interest and can directly interact and cooperate with their partners amid the limitations placed by the pandemic, he said.

"We are taking advantage of this pandemic situation as a momentum to conduct business virtually and we are also taking advantage of the rebound in economic growth," the ministry’s director general of America and Europe, I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, noted.

Indonesia's initiative to strengthen economic cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, has yielded positive results, he said.

In the first INACEE Business Forum, business deals worth US$2.9 million were recorded, while the INA-LAC Business Forum resulted in business deals of around US$87.96 million, he informed.

The value of the business deals reached in this year's INA-LAC Business Forum increased from the previous year's US$70 million, he said.

“This is a good start to take advantage of the momentum of economic recovery. Because even though we are in the midst of a pandemic, last August we recorded the highest export record (to Latin America and the Caribbean) in the last 20 years," Ngurah pointed out.

Until the third quarter of 2021, the Trade Ministry recorded positive growth in Indonesia's exports to Latin American and Caribbean countries, with the value of exports reaching US$1.7 billion, an increase of 54.8 percent compared to the same period last year, he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports from the region also showed a positive growth of 4.17 percent year on year, he added.

Efforts to improve economic relations with Latin America have been supported by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Indonesia and Chile (IC-CEPA), which has been in effect since 2019, he said.

Currently, Indonesia is also in the process of pre-negotiating the establishment of a CEPA with the Mercosur—a trading block that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, he informed.

The optimization of digital technology can also help Indonesia to overcome geographical constraints that have become a classic challenge in trade with the Latin American region, he added. (Antaranews)

29
October

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has stressed the significance of maintaining cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India in the health sector, particularly to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

"(This is aimed) not only to address the COVID-19 pandemic but also to prepare ourselves for pandemics in the future,” he said while addressing the 18th ASEAN-India Summit, which he joined virtually from the Bogor Presidential Palace on Thursday.

According to him, India has a large capacity in the health sector, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry.

India is also the largest vaccine producer in the world and the third-largest pharmaceutical producer in the world, he noted. This offers large capital to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and India in the pharmaceutical industry, he said.

Among the areas of cooperation that both sides can develop are increasing medicine and vaccine production, conducting joint research for the development of vaccines with up-to-date technology, developing networks, and being a part of the regional distribution center for the pharmaceutical industry, he said.

“At a global level, the support of TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Waiver at WTO must be done. This is important to facilitate access to up-to-date technology in the production of medicines and vaccines," he added.

Jokowi further underscored the importance of cooperation in human resources development in the health sector the more so because India has institutes of higher learning with a large number of medical schools.

“With experienced and excellent human resources, India can support ASEAN member countries’ effort to improve their human resources’ capacity,” he said.  (Antaranews)

28
October

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Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has said the government has prepared a flood-resilient city program focused on increasing river capacity and building the water resource infrastructure in response to climate change.

"We are attempting to increase the river capacity by dredging, broadening, or constructing embankments," he stated at the main event of the online commemoration of 2021 World Habitat Day and World City Day here on Wednesday.

For instance, the ministry has built the Nanjung Tunnel to expedite the water flow capacity of Citarum River, which often floods several areas in Baleendah sub-district, Bandung city, West Java, he informed.

In addition, it has constructed a canal from Cisangkuy River to Citarum River to reduce the volume of water flowing through the Cisangkuy River, he said.

Furthermore, the minister said the climate crisis has influenced the work of the ministry since it has changed the hydrometeorological cycle.

As the cycle change will bring heavier rainfall in a shorter time, various incidents of floods, flash floods, and landslides are expected to occur more frequently, he explained.

Thus, the ministry has to build infrastructure to prevent disasters from causing more damage to the community, he added.

"The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has warned us of the upcoming La Nina. Hence, they have also invited us to a coordination meeting to deal with the disaster as it is our duty to prepare for it," Hadimuljono said.

Hence, he said he has asked all staff at the ministry to embody the theme of 2021 World City Day of ‘Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience’ so that Indonesia is ready for and able to continue adapting to the crisis.

"I expect we can become an example for other ministries in adapting to climate change," he added. (antaranews)

28
October

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has highlighted three focuses that can be used by ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries to strengthen health resilience.

These three focuses are long-term investments so that the region is better prepared for future pandemics, he said while delivering a speech at the 24th ASEAN Plus Three summit, which he joined virtually from Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Wednesday.

The first focus is increasing the capacity of national health services, as they are absolutely the frontline in facing any pandemic, he pointed out.

The President also affirmed that national health can be the foundation for regional health resilience.

"The national health insurance system must also continue to be strengthened, especially for marginalized groups. The national pandemic mitigation strategies need to be improved, such as collaborating with the WHO Country and Regional Offices," he expounded.

Secondly, medical needs must be met by building reserves of medical supplies in the region, he said.

The ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies can be developed into an inventory buffer, he suggested.

The production capacity must be bolstered through investment support, technology transfer, and access to raw materials, he added.

"In a pandemic, regional health funding is necessary. The ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund can be advanced into an ASEAN Emergency Health Fund," Widodo said.

The next focus is strong coordination to align policies for tackling pandemics, he added. According to Widodo, coordinated handling will have a greater impact on pandemic control.

"We also need to develop mechanisms for quick and equitable distribution of medical needs in the region in times of emergency. For this reason, the ASEAN Emergency Operation Centre Network for Public Health must be utilized to the fullest," he affirmed.

ASEAN Plus Three (APT) is a cooperation between ASEAN countries and three East Asian countries (China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) that has been in place since 1997.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar also attended the summit. (Antaranews)

28
October

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The Indonesian Military's Battalion 643/Wanara Sakti and the Malaysian Army's (TDM) Battalion 500 and Battalion 602 have strengthened cooperation in securing the countries' borders in Jagoi Babang Sub-district, Bengkayang District, West Kalimantan.

"The TDM’s working visit also aims to review the condition of our joint post which accommodates TDM’s barrack," Commander of the Border Security Task Force of the Indonesian battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Hendro Wicaksono, said in Jagaoi Babang on Wednesday.

The visit was conducted by two Malaysia Military Liaison Officers (MMLOs) -- Lieutenant Colonel Haizal from TDM Battalion 500 and Major Arif from TDM Battalion 602, he informed.

"The Jagoi Babang Joint Post is a new security post. The establishment of the TDM’s barrack and other supporting facilities at the post is a strategic step in increasing the cooperation between the Indonesian military (TNI) and TDM in line with the construction of the Jagoi Babang border checkpoint," he said.

The result of the review will be discussed by the 38th Malaysia-Indonesia Land Operation Design Team (TPOD) in Malaysia as it is planned that the Malaysian army will replenish their personnel at each joint post, he added.

According to the Deputy Commander of the Border Security Task Force of the Indonesian battalion, Major Didik Lipur, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TDM had assigned its personnel to the Aruk Joint Post and Entikong Joint Post.

“While, TNI had placed its officers at Biawak Joint Post in Malaysia. However, since the virus outbreak, each country had withdrawn their personnel," he added.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Haizal of the MMLO said the visit aimed to review the readiness of barracks at the Jagoi Babang Joint Post, which would be re-occupied by TDM personnel.

“Apart from the joint post, we will also review the preparedness of the Temajuk Joint Post and the Nangau Badau Joint Post,” he informed. (Antaranews)

27
October

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President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged ASEAN and the People's Republic of China (PRC) to continue to maintain their mutually respectful and mutually beneficial partnership that has lasted 30 years.

"The 30-year period is enough time to build trust between us," President Widodo said at the 24th ASEAN-China Summit, which was held virtually from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java on Tuesday.

ASEAN and China share a common interest in building a peaceful and stable region, including in the South China Sea, by continuing to respect international law, he remarked.

"Our success in building a strong partnership, among other things, will be greatly influenced by how we manage the South China Sea," he said.

In addition, ASEAN and China share a common interest in continuing to build partnerships to improve welfare, he said.

ASEAN does not want to be caught between rivalries that could prove detrimental, he emphasized.

"ASEAN actually wants to develop cooperation in an open, inclusive manner, with all partners in four priority areas, namely maritime, connectivity, achieving the SDGs, and strengthening investment trade," he said.

The President further said he believes that the partnership that has been built for 30 years should be seen as a strong asset.

"If we are successful in this collaboration, a comprehensive strategic partnership will be a necessity," he remarked. (Antaranews)

27
October

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ASEAN and the Republic of Korea need to take advantage of the great potential for partnerships to push green and digital economy for the welfare of the global community, Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said.

“I have a view that this partnership should focus on the future economy, namely digital and sustainable green economy. The potential of the digital economy and green economy sector is huge," he said while joining the 22nd ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit virtually from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, on Tuesday.

ASEAN's digital economy potential is estimated to reach US$200 billion by 2025, while the green economy opportunities in the Southeast Asia region will reach US$1 billion in 2030, he noted.

"On the other hand, the Korean Deal project, which includes digital and green economy, is worth US$144 billion until 2025. The digital market potential in Korea is estimated to reach US$236 billion by 2030 and contribute 13 percent to the gross domestic product," the President said.

He then invited ASEAN countries and the Republic of Korea to focus on supporting a conducive environment for policy-making for the development of a green and digital economy, establishing a good ecosystem, expanding investment, and supporting technology transfer, research and development in the two sectors.

The ASEAN-Korea partnership is expected to further strengthen concrete cooperation in a number of fields, namely infrastructure and green industry, clean energy, new renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric cars, economic digitization, including MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), and health services, he said.

"This collaboration will show that decarbonization actions can go hand in hand with economic development. The win-win paradigm is not zero-sum," Widodo remarked.

"ASEAN and Korea's partnership in the digital and green economy can not only accelerate economic recovery but also maintain the sustainability of our planet for future generations," he added.  (Antaranews)