President Jokowi Departs For Vietnam, Philippines

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana departed for Vietnam to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and later head to Manila, the Philippines, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

The president and first lady departed from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, here, on Friday, at 10:30 a.m. local time aboard the presidential aircraft Indonesia 1, a Boeing business jet.

"I and the entourage today will leave for Da Nang, Vietnam, and will later head to Manila, the Philippines," he informed the press prior to the departure.

Focusing on the overarching theme of "Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future," the APEC Summit will bring together economic leaders of 21 APEC members to discuss the future of free trade, new drivers for economic growth, and the role of APEC in tackling common challenges in the region.

These are issues of high importance, given the current state of global trade and growth and the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement that seems increasingly unlikely to move forward as planned.

APEC 2017 will also help accelerate the implementation of the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment by 2020.

During the APEC Summit, Indonesia will elaborate on development goals, particularly to erase non-tariff barriers on Indonesian products, contributing to rural development and poverty eradication efforts.

Secondly, Indonesia will also highlight efforts to reduce the economic gap and promote inclusiveness. Indonesia's third agenda is infrastructure development, while the fourth pertains to emphasizing the rate time base policy.

Meanwhile, leaders from 20 countries of the ASEAN member states, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, the US, Canada, the EU, and the UN secretary general will gather in Manila for the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits to be held on Nov 10-14, 2017. This will be the second of the two ASEAN Summits that the Philippines is hosting this year.

Under the theme "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World," President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will chair the plenary session of the 31st ASEAN Summit where ASEAN leaders will discuss the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the way forward and the appointment of the new secretary general of the ASEAN.

They will also exchange views on pressing regional and international issues.

During the ASEAN Summit and related meetings, Indonesia will push for closer cooperation among ASEAN members and partner countries.

"We hope these visits would offer greater benefits to the Indonesian people," President Jokowi said. (WDY)