TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia will step up exploration of possible membership in international cooperations including the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
The message was said by Minister Retno explaining President Joko Widodo’s stance on international agreements, which was conveyed before the House of Representative.
President Joko Widodo in his state of the nation address celebrating Indonesia’s 71st Independence Day said that the Indonesian government will expedite the exploration of international trade deals and mull Indonesia’s participation in international economic partnerships, in which he referred to Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“We have been studying the TPPA. We are conducting cost-benefit analysis [of joining the TPPA]. The study is carried out by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs,” Minister Retno told Antara.
She also said that the Indonesian government is also taking part in the negotiation process of the RCEP.
“It has to be said that the RCEP is also being negotiated and it has yet to reach conclusions,” she explained.
On possible overlap of Indonesia’s plans to join the TPPA and the RCEP, in addition to the implementation of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Minister Retno said the government is still evaluating the issue.
“Some articles [in the TPPA and the RCEP] are similar indeed, but not exactly the same,” she said.
ANTARA
