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January
APEC to Finalize Novel Vision in 2020
APEC’s 21 member economies will finalize in 2020 a new vision for the forum’s next phase, APEC Secretariat’s Executive Director Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria stated. This was noted in a written statement issued by the APEC Secretariat and received here, Thursday.
"We will observe the completion of our long-term goal of free and open trade known as the Bogor Goals at the end of this year. The question for us now is where do we go next?" Maria noted while addressing senior diplomats and business leaders at a panel discussion on the future of global trade hosted by the Asia Business Trade Association.
Since 1994, the Bogor Goals have inspired APEC's member economies to pursue individual and collective action to reduce barriers to trade and investment.
Those efforts have led to a region-wide reduction in average tariffs, at 17 percent in the 1980s to some five percent today.
"We will take stock of what we have done for the past 30 years and work closely together to draw the next phase of the vision that will guide the forum for the next decades," she stated.
APEC has been making preparations for this transition. Three bodies -- the APEC Vision Group, the APEC Business Advisory Council, and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council -- have respectively issued recommendation reports for the forum’s next direction.
"There are common threads throughout the reports, including trade and investment liberalization, regional economic integration, sustainability, the digital economy, and skills," Maria remarked.
During the discussion, Maria highlighted APEC’s substantial achievements in 2019 -- Chile’s host year -- that include roadmaps for women and inclusive growth; marine debris; and combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
During 2020, APEC economies will be deliberating on action plans to operationalize the roadmaps, led by Malaysia, as the host of APEC this year.
The first senior officials meeting, to kick off APEC 2020 in earnest, will be held on Feb 3-22 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. (ANTARA)
January
New Colombo Recipients Pave Way for Closer Ties Between Indonesia and Australia
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta received this year’s New Colombo Plan (NCP) recipients at a welcome ceremony last night (23/01/2020) to congratulate students on their participation in the program. The Australian Government grants the New Colombo Plan as a financial aid for students who embark on study and internship programs across the Indo-Pacific region.
Speakers at the event, including Oka Simanjuntak, chairman of Australian Mining Infrastructure Resources Energy Chamber for Indonesia and the CEO of IBM, acknowledged the economic and cultural value of the grant to both countries. Mr Simanjuntak told the reception how strongly he has enjoyed being a host to international interns since 2015, but nodded to the need for more flexibility in the program.
“So the NCP is actually extremely important for Indonesia because by having Australian students come out here and placed in numerous hosts all over Jakarta and other cities as well, you are actually bringing a bit of Australia to Indonesia, and allow Indonesians to learn a lot from you as much as you learn a lot from Indonesia.”
“I have children and I wish that one day they could go to Australia to study. If they can't do that, I wish that more Australian students could come to Indonesia and my children can learn from them right here in Indonesia. So I do hope more students will come out here not just to do short internship programmes but longer programmes as well. This is my hope for the future.”
Mr Simanjuntak passed on his thanks to the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) and its partner organisations, Atma Jaya Catholic University and the NCP program for facilitating the internship and study opportunities in Indonesia. (VOI/LAURA GREEN)
January
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan Stresses on the Importance of the Relationship Between Indonesia and Australia
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta hosted the New Colombo Plan reception on Wednesday (22/01/2020) to welcome the recipients of the NCP grant to Indonesia and offer a chance for Australian students to interact and network with their Indonesian mentors. Speaking at the event, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan said the Australian embassy in Indonesia was their largest embassy in the world and it stems from the fact that Indonesia and Australia are good neighbours. He believes that despite a few political hiccups here and there, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has never been better.
"And the only way to make an ecosystem safe when we both live in the same ecosystem, Australia and Indonesia, is to make sure we are good neighbours. And that's what we're both very, very, very strongly committed to doing as countries. Even though Indonesia is so vastly bigger than we are, you need close, like-minded partners who you have got a lot of experience with and who you've learned to trust," Ambassador Quinlan said.
The New Colombo Plan is an initiative of the Australian Government that seeks to support Australian undergraduate students to study or to undertake internships to aid in increasing the knowledge of Indo Pacific region. The New Colombo Plan offers scholarships to Australian students to undertake short term/ long term study for up to one year, or involve themselves in internships, practicums, research or mentorships. Ambassador Quinlan acknowledged that education was a key element in transforming the relationship between Australia and Indonesia and thanked the NCP for enabling Australian students to live and study in Indonesia. (VOI/SAYEE SHREE L.R/AHM)
January
Jakarta - The Indonesian Motorized Vehicle Industry (Gaikindo), Wednesday, released the data for car exports throughout the year of 2019 which reached 332,023 units, indicating a 25 percent increase compared to the year prior with 264,553 units. The number refers to the exports of Complete Built Up (CBU) units, while exports in the form of Complete Knock Down (CKD) units reached 511,425, indicating a stark increase compared to the year prior with 82,028 CKD sets.
Daihatsu manufacturers, which produce cars for Daihatsu and Toyota, became the biggest exporter with 212,432 CBU units combined.
Based on the data released by Gaikindo, there are nine Indonesian manufacturers shipping cars overseas, including two new players, Wuling and DFSK. (ANTARA)