Indonesian gov’t urged to follow up FTA with EU
Xinhua 2009-12-09
Indonesian gov’t urged to follow up FTA with EU
JAKARTA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) urged the government to follow up the free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) as one of ways to expand market to the region, Bisnis Indonesia daily reported on Wednesday.
KADIN Deputy Chairman for Investment and Infrastructure Chris Kanter made the appeal on the sidelines of an investment seminar on Tuesday.
Kanter said that even though the government is still exploring the FTA chance between Indonesia and the EU, businessmen will be more aggressive to demand the implementation of the framework.
However, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said that it is too early to implement the FTA with the EU.
She said that Indonesia’s current focus is to identify long-term vision on Indonesia-EU ties.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China will enter the era of FTA on Jan. 1, 2010 in which tariff barrier on trade will be gradually eroded to zero.
