RI committed 'to removing trade barriers'
RI committed 'to removing trade barriers'
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is fully committed to removing tariff
and non-tariff barriers, and implementing agreements to further
the country's integration into the global trading network,
Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad said yesterday.
"We are because we realize that when we open ourselves up to
the global economy, the long term benefits from increased
participation in the world economy will be immense," Mar'ie told
a Pacific Rim Forum in Hong Kong.
A copy of Mar'ie's speech was released here yesterday by the
finance ministry's public relations section.
Mar'ie said Indonesia regretted that some countries had
introduced barriers that could impede the success already
achieved so far.
He also regretted that little progress had been made to
establish a similar constructive framework in the trade of
services.
"We all know that as the pace of economic globalization
accelerates, trade in services, including financial services, is
becoming increasingly important," he said.
Mar'ie said Indonesia had gained from reducing restrictions on
goods trading and could gain more by reducing barriers to the
trade of services.
He said that Indonesia had a very open financial sector and
was ready to participate in negotiations on the liberalization of
trade in services and would fairly and objectively evaluate
proposals for removing trade barriers.
On the Asian economy, Mar'ie said that as global competition
was more intense, the continued success of Asian economies would
depend largely on how quickly and well they met several
challenges, he said.
The Indonesian finance minister said the challenges to the
Asian economy were as follows:
The first challenge is for East Asian economies to quickly
convert their manufacturing and services sectors into knowledge-
intensive industries and to generate higher incomes for their
citizens.
The second is to develop a framework that will allow them to
move from export-led growth based on labor and raw material
intensive exports to exports that will increasingly consist of
higher value-added products.
The third is to maintain their record of macroeconomic policy,
while creating a more just society.
The fourth is to quickly and thoroughly develop and adapt
their education systems to meet the coming global challenges.
The fifth is to encourage the development of a democratic
culture; create a policy framework that allows growth while
protecting the environment; establishing a code of good
governance; and promoting the active participation of all
citizens in the development process.
The sixth challenge is to alleviate poverty.
The seventh challenge is to create a forum to help resolve
potential conflict in the region while continuing to recognize
the diversity that is the region's strength. (bnt)