Coordinating Minister Airlangga Urges Asia to Strengthen Multilateralism and Regional Cooperation at Tokyo Conference 2026
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto presented Indonesia’s perspective on global economic dynamics and the increasing importance of strengthening Asia’s regional cooperation during the Asian Leaders Roundtable session at Tokyo Conference 2026, held in Tokyo, Japan.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida led the session directly, with former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono serving as Co-Chair.
The forum was attended by numerous regional economic and policy figures, including former Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, former Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, former Reserve Bank of India Governor Duvvuri Subbarao, former Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase, former ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong, and former Malaysian Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
During the discussion session, Coordinating Minister Airlangga highlighted that the current global order is undergoing significant change, marked by increasing power-based politics, protectionism, and declining confidence in the multilateral system.
This condition is reflected in limited progress within global forums such as the WTO in responding to new issues, including digital trade and global supply chain resilience.
Additionally, countries are increasingly pursuing unilateral and bilateral approaches.
The escalating global geopolitical situation, including conflicts involving the United States and Israel with Iran, is placing pressure on global economic stability.
The surge in world oil prices exceeding 100 US dollars per barrel, with ongoing fluctuations, and the potential disruption of global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz demonstrate that global economic stability and development are heavily influenced by geopolitical dynamics.
Responding to these conditions, the Indonesian Government continues to strengthen national energy security in line with directives from President Prabowo Subianto through accelerating development of energy based on domestic resources.
Indonesia has currently implemented the B40 biodiesel programme and is targeting acceleration towards B50.
Additionally, the government is promoting bioethanol development through the E10 programme, with implementation to be accelerated towards E20.
Regarding renewable energy sources, Indonesia is also preparing the development of solar power generation capacity (PLTS) of approximately 800 gigawatts (GW) as part of a long-term strategy to strengthen energy transition and increase national energy independence.
The Asia region is projected to contribute approximately 52 per cent to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050. Therefore, strengthening regional cooperation has become increasingly strategic.
Coordinating Minister Airlangga affirmed that Asia must continue to uphold the principles of inclusivity and rules-based multilateralism.