Indonesia’s Sugiono: ASEAN-China Ties Must Focus On Real Outcomes In Strategic Sectors

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, July 10 (Bernama) -- Indonesia has called for concrete cooperation between ASEAN and China in key strategic sectors, including the digital economy, clean energy transition, food security, and infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Sugiono stressed that, while ASEAN-China relations remain among the most dynamic and impactful in the region, the partnership must now deliver tangible results.

“These are the priority sectors our leaders have already identified,” he said at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Sugiono welcomed progress on the upcoming ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA) 3.0, set to be signed later this year, calling it a key step towards open, rules-based trade and deeper regional integration.

He also noted China’s proposed “ASEAN visa”, aimed at easing business travel across the region, and the launch of the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit, as signs of growing strategic depth.

China has been ASEAN’s top trading partner for over 15 years, with trade close to US$1 trillion in 2024, and is also among its three biggest sources of foreign direct investment.

Beyond economics, Sugiono called for stronger cooperation to confront rising challenges in the region, including tackling the growing threat of transnational crime, intensifying cooperation in law enforcement and maritime governance.

He underscored the need to finalise a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by 2026, stressing that progress must be “meaningful and anchored in international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

“Only then can we achieve true win-win cooperation for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region,” he added.

-- BERNAMA