Opening of the ASEAN Business Summits Week

Ketua ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Arsjad Rasjid menyatakan, Indonesia berhasil menciptakan sebuah era baru dalam berbisnis di negara-negara Asia Tenggara.

Indonesia dalam kapasitasnya sebagai Ketua ASEAN-BAC Tahun 2023 secara signifikan telah menciptakan landasan kokoh untuk memudahkan para pelaku usaha berkontribusi positif dalam pembangunan ekonomi di kawasan.

“Kami telah meletakkan landasan kokoh untuk memudahkan pelaku usaha mengembangkan  bisnis, mewujudkan kawasan yang stabil dan damai, menjunjung tinggi hukum internasional, dan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan di ASEAN. Ini menjadi pegangan penting bagi pelaku usaha dalam menjalankan peranannya,” kata Arsjad pada pembukaan ASEAN Business Summit Week 2023 di Istana Negara, Jakarta, Jumat (01/09/2023).

Acara yang dibuka Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi), dihadiri, oleh Menteri Koordinasi Bidang Perekonomian Airlangga Hartarto, Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Menteri Luar Negeri Retno Marsudi, Menteri Investasi dan Kepala Badan Koordinator Penanaman Modal Bahlil Lahadalia, Sekretaris Kabinet Pramono Anung, serta para pelaku usaha negara-negara ASEAN. Sebanyak 150 delegasi bisnis Indonesia dan ASEAN turut hadir dalam kesempatan ini.

Presiden Jokowi mengatakan, ASEAN telah membuktikan diri sebagai kawasan yang damai, sebagai kawasan yang stabil, dan sebagai kawasan yang tumbuh sejahtera.

Presiden Jokowi juga mengungkapkan, pertumbuhan Ekonomi ASEAN pada tahun 2024 diperkirakan tertinggi di dunia, mencapai 4,5% year-on-year (YoY). ASEAN juga menjadi kawasan paling menarik bagi Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) di tahun 2022 sebesar 17% FDI masuk ke ASEAN. “Ini adalah modal besar ASEAN, untuk mencapai cita-cita menjadi epicentrum of growth,” kata Presiden Jokowi.

Di sisi lain, kata Presiden Jokowi, ASEAN butuh strategi taktis yang extraordinary. Strateginya bukan strategi besar, tetapi taktis yang extraordinary, sehingga butuh kolaborasi yang semakin solid.

"Tidak bisa sendiri-sendiri, baik antar negara antar para pengusaha dan juga antar masyarakat. Oleh sebab itu, saya berharap ASEAN-BAC  berperan lebih besar dalam perumusan dan pengimplementasian strategi taktis kolaborasi lintas stakeholder," ujar Presiden Jokowi.

Pada kesempatan itu, Arsjad juga menyerahkan kepada Presiden Jokowi dokumen tentang ASEAN Business Roadmap Towards Epicentrum of Growth sebagai roadmap menuju "ASEAN 2045."

Ia mengatakan, sebagai Ketua ASEAN-BAC tahun 2023, Indonesia mengusung lima isu prioritas, yaitu transformasi digital (digital transformation), pembangunan berkelanjutan (sustainable development), ketahanan kesehatan (health resilience), ketahanan pangan (food security), serta memfasilitasi perdagangan dan investasi (trade & investment) yang diprioritaskan untuk meningkatkan peran strategis pelaku Usaha Mikro, Kecil, dan Menengah (UMKM)  di negara-negara anggota ASEAN.

Arsjad yang juga Ketua Umum Kamar Dagang dan Industri (Kadin) Indonesia mengatakan, sesuai tema yang diusung "ASEAN Centrality: Innovating towards Greater Inclusivity," ASEAN-BAC bertekad untuk menjadikan ASEAN sebagai tujuan investasi dan perdagangan paling menarik di dunia.

“Kami telah melakukan kajian mendalam dan roadshow untuk mendapatkan dukungan  negara-negara mitra, seperti Tiongkok, Kanada, Australia, Jepang, dan Korea Selatan. ASEAN-BAC  sangat fokus pada sentralitas, inovasi, dan inklusivitas, yang bersumber dari  nilai-nilai fundamental 5P, yaitu People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, dan Partnership,” jelas Arsjad.

Disebutkan, pembahasan lima isu prioritas dikembangkan menjadi delapan legacy project, yang terdiri atas ASEAN QR Code, Marketplace Lending Platform, Wiki Entrepreneur,  ASEAN Net Zero Hub, Carbon Center of Excellence, ASEAN One Shot Campaign, Inclusive Closed-Loop Model for Agricultural Product, dan ASEAN Business Entity.

“Saya optimistis delapan legacy project ini berdampak signifikan bagi terciptanya era baru berbisnis di kawasan.  Hal ini juga akan menjadi salah satu topik pembahasan antara pelaku usaha dan para kepala pemerintahan,” kata Arsjad.

Forum Bisnis

Pada kesempatan itu, Arsjad juga menjelaskan tentang penyelenggaraan ASEAN Weekend Market, pada tanggal 1-3 September 2023. Pada kegiatan itu, ASEAN-BAC mempromosikan produk-produk buatan UMKM se-ASEAN. 

Seiring perjalanan menuju kemajuan, lanjutnya, sangat penting untuk memahami bahwa perjalanan menuju pembangunan harus bermula dari pasar ASEAN. Prinsip ini ditegaskan oleh pertumbuhan signifikan ekonomi ASEAN, yang melejit hingga mencapai 5,7% pada tahun 2022.

Dengan outlook positif pada pemulihan sektor jasa, diperkirakan laju pertumbuhan sebesar 4,6% pada tahun 2023 dan 4,9% pada tahun 2024.

“Perdagangan barang total juga mencatat pertumbuhan yang kuat sebesar 14,9%, mencapai total nilai US$ 3.847,0 miliar, dan perdagangan intra-ASEAN melonjak 21,3% pada tahun 2022, berkontribusi pada 22,3% dari total perdagangan ASEAN,” kata Arsjad.

Lebih lanjut dijelaskan, aliran Penanaman Modal Asing (Foreign Direct Investment/FDI) ke wilayah ASEAN mencapai US$ 224,2 miliar pada tahun 2022, yang mencerminkan laju pertumbuhan sebesar 5,5%. Di sisi lain,  FDI intra-ASEAN menyumbang 12,3% dari total aliran FDI ASEAN.

Selain itu, juga diselenggarakan  forum bisnis, seperti  ASEAN Women CEO Forum, ASEAN Climate Forum, ASEAN Future Generation Business Forum di Ritz Carlton Pacific Place, Jakarta dan ASEAN Investment Forum di Hotel Sultan and Residence Jakarta yang dimulai pada tanggal 2 - 3 September 2023.

Arsjad menyatakan, kekuatan intrinsik ASEAN terletak pada hubungan komplementer di antara negara-negara anggota.  Kolaborasi yang inklusif dan harmonis ini menjadi dasar kemajuan, memungkinkan kawasan ini berdiri kokoh menghadapi tekanan pasar eksternal.

“Dengan merawat hubungan ini, ASEAN memperkuat daya saing dan menjadikan dirinya sebagai pemain berpengaruh di panggung global,” kata Arsjad.

Sementara itu, acara ASEAN Business and Investment Summit akan dimulai pada tanggal 3 - 4 September 2023. Dan, pada tanggal 4 September akan digelar ASEAN Business Awards.

ASEAN-BAC  juga  memberikan Policy Recommendation dari masing-masing ASEAN-BAC  tiap negara ASEAN, agar bisa dipertimbangkan menjadi langkah selanjutnya untuk mewujudkan ASEAN sebagai Epicentrum of Growth.

“ASEAN-BAC sangat antusias menjalankan rangkaian acara ini dan berharap bisa memperkuat hubungan antara sektor swasta dan pemerintah dalam upaya memajukan pertumbuhan ekonomi di ASEAN,” kata Arsjad.

Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Arsjad Rasjid stated that Indonesia has succeeded in creating a new era of business in Southeast Asian countries.

Indonesia, in its capacity as Chair of ASEAN-BAC in 2023, has created a solid foundation to seamlessly integrate business actors with positive contributions to enhance economic development in the region.

"We have laid a solid foundation to make it easier for business actors to develop business, create a stable and peaceful region, uphold international law and human values in ASEAN. This is an important guide for business actors in carrying out their roles," said Arsjad at the opening of the 2023 ASEAN Business Summit Week at the State Palace, Jakarta, Friday (01/09/2023).

The event, which was opened by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), was attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of Investment and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Bahlil Lahadalia, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, as well as business actors from ASEAN countries. A total of 172 Indonesian and ASEAN business delegates were also in attendance.

President Jokowi said ASEAN had proven itself to be peaceful and stable, and a region that has created its own prosperity.

President Jokowi also revealed that ASEAN economic growth in 2024 is expected to be the highest in the world, reaching 4.5% year-on-year (YoY). ASEAN is also the most attractive region for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2022 with 17% of FDI entering ASEAN. "This is ASEAN's big capital, to achieve the goal of becoming the epicenter of growth," said President Jokowi.

With this in mind, said President Jokowi, ASEAN needs an extraordinary tactical strategy. The strategy need not be grandeur, but must have extraordinary tactics, meaning that more solid collaboration is needed.

“It cannot be done individually, whether it is between countries, between entrepreneurs and also between communities. Therefore, I hope that ASEAN-BAC will play a bigger role in the formulation and implementation of cross-stakeholder tactical collaboration strategies," said President Jokowi.

At this event, Arsjad handed the document regarding the ASEAN Business Roadmap Towards Epicentrum of Growth as a roadmap towards "ASEAN 2045" over to President Jokowi.

As Chair of ASEAN-BAC in 2023, Arsjad emphasizes that Indonesia is addressing five priority issues. This includes digital transformation, sustainable development, health resilience, food security, as well as facilitating trade and Prioritized investment (trade & investment) to increase the strategic role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in ASEAN member countries.

Arsjad, who is also the General Chair of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), said that in accordance with the theme "ASEAN Centrality: Innovating Greater towards Inclusivity," ASEAN-BAC is determined to make ASEAN the most attractive investment and trade destination in the world.

“We have carried out in-depth studies and roadshows to get support from partner countries, such as China, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea. ASEAN-BAC is very focused on centrality, innovation and inclusiveness, which originate from the fundamental values of 5P, namely People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership," explained Arsjad.

In the discussion, five priority issues were developed into eight legacy projects. These projects consist of the ASEAN QR Code, Marketplace Lending Platform, Wiki Entrepreneur, ASEAN Net Zero Hub, Carbon Center of Excellence, ASEAN One Shot Campaign, Inclusive Closed-Loop Model for Agricultural Products, and ASEAN Business Entities.

"I am optimistic that these eight legacy projects will have a significant impact on creating a new era of doing business in the region. This will also be one of the topics of discussion between business actors and heads of government," said Arsjad.

Business Forum

During this event, Arsjad also explained the ASEAN Weekend Market, occurring from 1-3 September 2023. During this event, ASEAN-BAC will promote products made by MSMEs throughout ASEAN.

As we continue our journey towards progress, Arsjad continued, it is very important to understand that the journey towards development must start from the ASEAN market. This principle is confirmed by the significant growth of the ASEAN economy, which soared to 5.7% in 2022.

With a positive outlook on the recovery of the service sector, it is estimated that the growth rate will be 4.6% in 2023 and 4.9% in 2024. “Total goods trade also recorded strong growth of 14.9%, reaching a total value of US$ 3,847.0 billion, and intra-ASEAN trade surged 21.3% in 2022, contributing to 22.3% of total ASEAN trade, " said Arsjad.

It was further explained that the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the ASEAN region will reach US$ 224.2 billion in 2022, which reflects a growth rate of 5.5%. On the other hand, intra-ASEAN FDI contributed 12.3% of the total ASEAN FDI flows.

That being said, business forums like the ASEAN Women CEO Forum, ASEAN Climate Forum, ASEAN Future Generation Business Forum at the Ritz Carlton Pacific Place, Jakarta and the ASEAN Investment Forum are being held at the Sultan Hotel and Residence Jakarta; starting on 2 - 3 September 2023.

Arsjad stated that ASEAN's intrinsic strength lies in the complementary relationship between member countries. This inclusive and harmonious collaboration lays the foundation for progress, enabling the region to stand firm against external market pressures.

"By nurturing these relationships, ASEAN strengthens its competitiveness and establishes itself as an influential player on the global stage," said Arsjad.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will start on September 3 - 4 2023. On September 4, the ASEAN Business Awards will be held.

ASEAN-BAC also provides Policy Recommendations for each business council throughout the ASEAN region. This provides the framework in realizing the next steps towards ASEAN as the Epicentrum of Growth.

“ASEAN-BAC is very enthusiastic about carrying out this series of events and hopes to strengthen relations between the private sector and government in an effort to advance economic growth in ASEAN," said Arsjad.