By: Kurnia Password )*
The trend of positive cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia tends to decrease. Currently, the government is trying to maximize the economic recovery so that the economy can bounce back.
Trade and economic performance in the Asia Pacific Region generally shows a positive trend. This is an implication of various facilitative policy measures in facilitating the flow of trade in goods. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is expected to continue to strengthen the spirit of partnership based on an open and dynamic vision as an important factor in achieving common goals.
The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia Muhammad Lutfi said that APEC needed to formulate concrete steps to achieve equity and accelerate economic growth, especially through increasing the trade sector, encouraging regional economic integration in supporting an inclusive and sustainable recovery.
In addition, Lutfi continued, APEC needs to continue to strengthen the spirit of partnership based on an open and dynamic vision as an important factor to achieve common goals. APEC is a cooperation forum for 21 economies around the Pacific Ocean. APEC’s main activities include trade, investment and other economic cooperation to promote growth and increase prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.
The APEC region showed positive economic growth in the first quarter of 2021 triggered by increased trade performance and economic activity. This is the implication of various facilitative policy steps in facilitating the flow of trade in goods, especially vaccines for the implementation of the commitments of the APEC Trade Ministers meeting which was held in June 2021.
Lutfi said that Indonesia had actively contributed to the implementation of the mandate of the MRT meeting through the implementation of policies to facilitate the flow of trade in essential goods, vaccines and medical goods which included ease of licensing, digitization of customs procedures, relaxation of export restrictions, and intensification of cooperation, both with the APEC Economy and in the United States. domestic scope.
Apart from this, the gap in access to vaccines is the dominant factor that hinders efforts to evenly distribute the economy. The important role of the trade sector and increased collaboration can be an effective instrument to overcome the crisis and promote economic recovery in the region. Lutfi also emphasized that the smooth flow of trade can ensure equitable access to vaccines, considering that economic recovery is very dependent on the success of vaccination, so efforts and concrete steps in the trade sector need to be intensified in ensuring broad and equitable access to vaccines.
The trading pattern after the Covid-19 pandemic is a special concern in the AMM discussion. The APEC Ministers underlined the need for a collaborative and adaptive approach to ensure inclusive and sustainable trade. Indonesia supports APEC’s commitment to realizing economic resilience in the region through synergies with the business sector and sharing best policy practices that other APEC members can adapt.
After the Bogor Goals agreement, APEC entered a new phase in promoting prosperity for the wider community and future generations through the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040. Under the chairmanship of New Zealand, this vision is translated into various action plans to create an open, dynamic, resilient and peace-based community. , including continuing APEC’s role in supporting the multilateral trading system and the WTO.
He also explained that the AMM was an important moment for APEC Ministers in giving positive signals and support for the concrete results of the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC-12) which will take place in November 2021. In addition, next year, Indonesia as the G-20 presidency and Thailand as the host of APEC 2022 plays an important role in determining the direction of economic recovery.
Lutfi emphasized that the synergy between various international organizations can be the key to success in overcoming economic challenges and ensuring welfare for all levels of society for all levels of society to rise together after the pandemic.
On a different occasion, Head of the Trade Assessment and Development Agency (BPPP) of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag), Kasan Muhri confirmed that it was important to use other countries’ trade cooperation agreements to support national economic recovery. So that in this case it is hoped that a number of trade agreements can be a stimulus for trade recovery and help increase investment flows in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Economic Recovery in the Pandemic Period of course must be a special concern, one of which is through investment and trade policies.
)* The author is a contributor to Pertiwi Institute