Taking Advantage of Export Opportunities

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Executive board members of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) smile during a meeting with President Joko Widodo on 13 June 2019 at Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta. The President had invited the association to provide their inputs on how to improve the economy over the next five years, particularly on how Indonesian investments and exports could catch up with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The previous day, the President had received top executives of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) to discuss the same issues.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia needs to resolve various obstacles and problems in the country to compete with other countries and realize its economic potential. In addition, the government has to further identify Indonesian products that have the potential to enter the United States market to replace products previously imported from China.

These measures are needed in anticipation of a prolonged trade war between the US and China. Many people are hoping for a breakthrough to be achieved during the upcoming meeting of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are scheduled to meet at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, this weekend.