TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has started the preparations for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, which is slated to take place in Jakarta on July 7-9, 2020.

He then established a meeting with Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Mahendra Siregar and several representatives of other ministries. “A total of 35 countries, 700 CEOs, and about 1,100 participants will join the forum,” said Luhut at his office, Jakarta, Monday, February 10.

According to him, the international economic forum aimed at luring investments in a variety of sectors. Thus, the government would promote successful stories in Indonesia, he said.

The Coordinating Minister claimed that this year’s forum would be bigger than the previous one held in Vietnam as it would accommodate the Indo-Pacific regions, such as Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, as well as Pacific countries including New Zealand, Australia, and Japan.

However, Luhut stopped short of mentioning the target of investment from the session. “We have not calculated it yet. But we invite a number of figures, namely Andrew Forest, Peter Mark, Jack Ma, Masayoshi Son.”

Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Mahendra Siregar said the forum would address the infrastructure development and connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region. Mahendra considered the area as a hub for all ASEAN countries previously contested by big states.

“Now we have had a chance to see this as a more operational context for infrastructure development,” said Mahendra.

CAESAR AKBAR