JAKARTA. The government aims to boost cooperation for the digital economy and services sectors within the framework of the ongoing Indonesia-Australia comprehensive economic partnership agreement (IA-CEPA). “Following the development and trends in the 21st century, we’re focusing on shifting the IA-CEPA to the services and digital economy sectors,” said Trade Minister Thomas Lembong during his visit to Canberra last week. Indonesia is currently on the drive to boost its e-commerce transactions worth US$130 billion by 2020, more than tenfold from $12 billion at the end of 2014. Apart from digital services, other sectors that have been targeted for deeper cooperation were nursing, culinary, fashion and jewelry design, Thomas added.
“Indonesia will partner in vocational training and capacity building with Australia. In the near future, internship opportunities in Australia will be more open,” he said in a statement. Mahmud Syaltout, an international trade law and policy expert at the University of Indonesia, lauded the government’s move and argued that Indonesia should also use the partnership for a more integrated supply chain, such as those in the cattle industry. “Indonesia could, for example, become not only a cattle market to Australia, but also a supplier of cattle derivative products with help from Australia,” he said. Separately, the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) announced that it had received an investment commitment in the meat processing industry from an Australian firm.