"Two-thirds of the world`s economic growth is being supported by the economies of ASEAN member countries and this only shows the importance of ASEAN and East Asia in the global context," the minister said at a press conference about Indonesia`s ASEAN chairmanship in 2011 here Tuesday.
Mari said East Asia`s gross domestic product (GDP) was equal to Europe`s and the United States` which was 14.6 trillion US dollars.
She also said Indonesia needed to utilize the opportunity as the chairman of the ASEAN Summit 2011 and face historical challenges to place the association in the world economy growth.
"Since the central world trade is in Asia, Indonesia is expected to be able to make use the chance as the chairman of ASEAN Summit 2011 as well as it is the biggest country among ASEAN member countries," she said.
ASEAN was now in the world`s limelight amid regional economic integration in Asia which meant ASEAN and its dialogue partner countries, and other areas, she said.
Therefore, she added, Indonesia should be able to maintain ASEAN`s credibility and relevance in the developed world, as well as highlight the important role of ASEAN in the development of the world community.
In internal substance, she said, ASEAN partnership had played significant part for its member countries, while the intra-ASEAN trade represented about 25 percent of the ASEAN trade total. Mari also said that ASEAN was the main foreign tourists` resource for its member countries, reaching 30.851 tourists in 2009.
In the conference for several mass media, the Minister explained three main pillars which were used to increase the economic partnership of ASEAN; they are to strengthen internal partnership within ASEAN, to increase agreement utilization of comprehensive economic partnership achieved by ASEAN and its dialogue partner countries and to focus on equilibrium development related to medium business (UKM). (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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