West Java and Malaysia's Selangor Strengthen Economic Collaboration Through SIBS@ASEAN 2026

The West Java Provincial Government (Indonesia) and the Selangor State Government (Malaysia) have launched the Selangor International Business Summit, SIBS@ASEAN 2026 Bandung Edition. The regional business meeting took place over two days in Bandung on 9-10 July 2026, attended by 425 delegates, consisting of 225 delegates from Malaysia and 200 delegates from Indonesia. The forum aims to open up opportunities for bilateral trade and investment cooperation, encourage investment in the industrial sector, and build long-term partnerships. SIBS@ASEAN 2026 Bandung Edition also featured the Selangor Medical Tourism and Education Expo, organised in collaboration with Tourism Selangor and Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS). The exhibition presented 30 booths for healthcare services and higher education. West Java Vice Governor Erwan Setiawan stated that the meeting was an effort to enhance trade and business relations between the two regions while strengthening cooperation at the ASEAN level. ‘It is an honour for the West Java Provincial Government to host the SIBS 2026 event. I am confident this activity will further improve the good cooperation between the Selangor Government and the West Java Provincial Government,’ Erwan said in his remarks. Erwan added that West Java’s investment realisation has always been among the highest nationally, with Malaysia being one of the largest investors in the province. This is reflected in the realisation of Malaysian investment in West Java over the past five years, which reached IDR 47 trillion. In terms of tourism, visits by Malaysian tourists to West Java accounted for 12.5 per cent of total foreign tourist arrivals to the province. ‘This shows that West Java is widely known by the Malaysian public,’ he stressed. In terms of trade, Malaysia is also among the top 10 export destination countries for various commodities from West Java. West Java’s trade balance with Malaysia recorded a surplus of USD 1.1 billion. This underscores the close relationship in the trade sector between Malaysia and West Java, particularly Selangor. West Java’s population has now reached 51 million, with the majority being of productive age. This makes West Java not only a potential large market but also a source of productive labour ready to support investment needs. The province also boasts ready infrastructure, such as Patimban International Port, Kertajati International Airport, and toll road networks like the Cisumdawu Toll Road, Purbaleunyi Toll Road, and Cipali Toll Road, which strengthen inter-regional connectivity, facilitate the distribution of goods and services, and support logistics efficiency for business players. From an economic perspective, West Java’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2026 reached 5.79 per cent, exceeding the national economic growth rate. ‘We are committed to supporting and encouraging sustainable and inclusive investment growth, in line with the vision of Jabar Istimewa, which is a developed, prosperous, and competitive West Java,’ he said. Selangor Menteri Besar Dato Seri Amirudin Shari expressed hope that the meeting would not be merely ceremonial but would be sustainable. ‘It must be followed up immediately by business players from both West Java and Selangor. We must seize the various business and investment opportunities from both sides so that in the future, we, who are of the same stock, Malaysia and Indonesia, Selangor and West Java, will continue to improve,’ he said. During the event, several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were also signed, covering strategic partnerships to encourage cross-sector institutional collaboration between the public and private sectors. The institutions signing the MoUs included Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) with the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS); Caregivers Academy International Group, WBS, LPK Darmawan, and PT Rukun Sahabat Senior Living. Additionally, MoUs were signed between Tourism Selangor and Batik Air, Tourism Selangor and the Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), and Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), along with a Letter of Intent (LoI) between GreatAsic Technology and the Indonesia Chip Design Collaborative Center (ICDeC). Dedi Taufik, Head of the West Java Investment and One-Stop Integrated Service Office, and Helmy Yahya, Chief Executive of the Rebana Metropolitan Management Agency, also presented the potential of the Rebana area.