JakartaGlobe-Nov 21
Many Indonesians believe that the United States and China are the right partners for ASEAN on the economic front, according to a recent survey. The Foreign Affairs Ministry and research institute Litbang Kompas recently surveyed hundreds of Indonesians on how they perceive Jakarta’s ASEAN chairmanship. Questions also include on who would be the best partner for ASEAN to work with if the bloc wishes to grow its economic power and become a new epicentrum of growth. The ministry revealed Tuesday some snippets of the survey. The US and China became Indonesians’ top picks for whom ASEAN should work with economically. “The study shows that Indonesians feel that the US and China are the right economic partners for ASEAN,” Edi Suharto, a senior official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, told a hybrid conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. Respondents said it would be best for ASEAN to team up with the US to address political security issues. Japan also became the top pick among Indonesians for the best ASEAN partner to build “sense of togetherness” in the sociocultural community, according to Edi. The diplomat did not go into details on how many respondents picked Washington-Beijing as the most strategic economic partners. Data, however, shows that ASEAN has been enjoying strong economic ties with both rival countries. According to a US Government fact sheet, the US is the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Southeast Asia. More than 6,200 American businesses have contributed to a record $520.3 billion in total US-ASEAN trade in 2022. Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesians-see-us-china-as-the-right-economic-partners-for-asean-
