VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inspected the prices of staple items at the Menteng Pulo Market, Jakarta, Thursday, in a bid to keep an eye out for potential inflationary movements in future.

"I want to see the price situation, especially with regard to inflation after Eid," President Jokowi stated at the market here on Thursday.

Jokowi remarked that the prices of several staple items were quite stable.

Staples that experienced an increase were shallots, whose price had reached Rp44 thousand to Rp45 thousand per kilogram, an increase as compared to the earlier price of Rp32 thousand to Rp34 thousand per kilogram.

Jokowi noted that no issues were experienced in connection with other staples, such as rice. The president admitted to feeling surprised that medium-quality rice was being sold at Rp9 thousand per kg.

"Medium-quality rice is sold for Rp9 thousand. Meanwhile, rice priced at Rp9.5 thousand is also available. I was also surprised that there was rice that cost Rp9 thousand. I think that is good," he remarked.

Jokowi said that cooking oil was priced at around Rp14 thousand, while the cost of eggs had decreased to Rp31 thousand per kilogram.

Based on a report from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), inflation after Eid or in May 2023 was recorded at 0.09 percent on a monthly basis (mtm), or decreased as compared to the inflation of 0.33 percent (mtm) in the earlier month.

Thus, the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was 4.00 percent (yoy), lower than the inflation of 4.33 percent (yoy) in the previous month.

While visiting the market, President Jokowi was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that the government is committed to supporting efforts to develop Indonesia's creative and digital economies by continuing to work to handle the digital divide.

"The government is always committed to supporting the development of Indonesia's creative and digital economies, including by striving to address the digital divide issue and enhance the competitiveness of the country's digital human resources," Hartarto stated, as quoted from an official statement in Jakarta, Thursday.

Minister Hartarto made the statement during a meeting with the CEO of TikTok social media platform Shou Zi Chew in Jakarta on Wednesday (June 14).

The minister reiterated that the government is always providing support to the efforts in developing Indonesia's creative economy, especially when the country is witnessing an increase in the number of local startup companies developing applications that provide benefits to the people.

"The ever developing social media platforms today are helping us to stay interconnected, so we can exchange insights as well as open opportunities to translate aspirations into achievements," Minister Hartarto affirmed.

The minister's meeting with the TikTok CEO was part of the series of activities of the TikTok Southeast Asia Economic Impact Report 2023 launch event that is taking place on Thursday.

Government representatives from all ASEAN countries are invited to attend the report launch event that constitutes the culmination of the fifth year anniversary celebration of TikTok's presence in the region.

Hartarto also lauded TikTok for its dedication over the past half a decade in inspiring creativity and bringing joy to communities, particularly business actors, who run micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as the creative economy industry.

During the meeting, Minister Hartarto was accompanied by Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo as well as the secretary and the expert staff for digital transformation, creativity and human resources at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia must optimize opportunities arising from the ongoing trade war between the United States (US) and China, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said.

"We are in the midst of a situation which we can take advantage of… as the US has started to ban the imports of Chinese products," he observed at the "2023 National Working Meeting on Government Internal Supervision" here on Wednesday.

He said that Indonesia has become a member of the first regional cooperation to focus on supply chain issues, namely the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Other IPEF members include Brunei, Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines, and the United States.

The IPEF member countries have committed to realizing economic cooperation involving the private sector as well as implementing technical assistance and capacity-building programs.

The collaboration is expected to increase investment in critical sectors, prominent goods, physical and digital infrastructure, transportation, as well as employment projects.

"Indonesia and the US are discussing the facilitation of Indonesian nickel products exports to the US through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework,” the coordinating minister informed.

IPEF represents more than 40 percent of the global economy as well as 28 percent of global trade in goods and services. It aims to develop inclusive economic cooperation among countries in the Indo-Pacific.

The trade war between the US and China started in 2018 when the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, decided to impose import tariffs on Chinese products, which were considered to have a detrimental effect on the sale of domestic products.

Responding to the US policy, China also imposed import tariffs on American products.

The two countries continued to gradually impose tariffs on each other, resulting in an escalated trade war.

Recently, the United States limited the trade of semiconductor and artificial intelligence technology to China citing national security.

In response, China filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the policy of the US.

In addition, the Chinese government allocated US$140 billion (about Rp2,092 trillion) to increase domestic chip production. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia could catch up with China and India to emerge as a new economic force within five years, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has affirmed.

"New economic power lies in China, India, and in my opinion, in the next five years, Indonesia can become a new economic force, as long as we are truly consistent," the minister observed during the "National Coordination Meeting of Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) Internal Monitoring" here on Wednesday.

To achieve the target, the role of BPKP in monitoring all ministries, agencies, and regional units is crucial, he said.

"So we all can walk in the right corridor and play fairly, thereby also reducing the possibility of corruption here and there," Pandjaitan informed.

He said he is confident that Indonesia can catch up with China and India, after learning from the developing industrial policy, which is apparent in the protectionist stance adopted by developing countries—something that used to only be carried out by developed countries.

Pandjaitan also highlighted many companies' readiness to mitigate the concentration risk and impacts that could arise from areas experiencing conflicts.

He explained that China and India managed to become new economic forces because the two states increased their defense budget and tapped into their growing economic potential by making foreign affairs policies that could meet domestic needs.

The minister said that Indonesia can benefit from the changes in global supply chains on account of the complex geopolitical situation.

He cited the example of Taiwan, which has a major role in global chip supply and distribution. However, with the ever-increasing tension, the US intends to decrease its dependence on imports and push for more domestic chip production, he said.

The escalating conflict between China and Taiwan has also increased the risk of war between Taiwan and the US versus China, he added.

Given its geographical position, Indonesia can play an important role amid such conditions, the minister said. (Antaranews)