AEC to Strengthen ASEAN Economic Cooperation

Jakarta, InfoPublik – Industry Minister Airlangga Hartanto stated that ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) free market is a momentum to further enhance mutual economic cooperation between ASEAN member countries.

"The implementation of AEC indicates ASEAN’s intra-regional trade potential. It is expected to create regional economic strength which therefore should be harnessed optimally," Minister Hartanto stated in official release, Monday (9/19).

According to him, national industry sectors need to strengthen its domestic market as well as be prepared in order to compete in the ASEAN level.

Sectors such as agro industries (cocoa, rubber, and crude palm oil), fishery and processed fish products, textiles and textile products, footwear and leather, furniture, food and beverages, fertilizers and petrochemicals, automotive industry, machinery and tools, and iron and steel industry are considered able to compete in the ASEAN market.
 
"In addition to preparing an offensive strategy to penetrate the ASEAN market, we also made anticipatory measures through defensive strategies by strengthening certain industrial sectors in the domestic market such as automotive, electronics, cement, apparel, footwear, food and beverages, as well as furniture," he said.

He reminded that in addition to improving products competitiveness, Indonesian human resource skills need to be improved consistently and continuously in order to win competition in international markets.

"Human resources quality improvement through certification of competence is urgent,” he added. (Translator: Siti Chodijah)