On June 4, 2025, during the second day of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, met with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong.

Minister Airlangga congratulated Gan Kim Yong on his reappointment in Singapore’s new cabinet and expressed confidence that Singapore’s trade and industry sectors would continue to grow and support stronger regional economic cooperation.

Progress Reported on Indonesia-Singapore Six Working Groups (6WG)

The meeting reviewed significant progress under the Indonesia-Singapore Six Working Groups (6WG), following the Senior Official Meeting held on May 23, 2025, in Jakarta.

Minister Airlangga highlighted key developments, especially in the Batam-Bintan-Karimun (BBK) region, which has seen increased investment interest, particularly in the digital and data sectors.

“One key achievement is the complete sale of data center land in Nongsa Digital Park, with total investments reaching USD 28 million as of April 2025. BW Digital’s commitment to an 80 MW capacity project in the area reflects investor confidence in Indonesia’s digital infrastructure,” said Minister Airlangga.

Expanding Bilateral Investment Across Strategic Sectors

Investment cooperation continues to grow in several strategic sectors, including infrastructure, industrial services, energy transition, health, and investment facilitation.

In the employment sector, collaboration in human resource development is progressing through the continuation of the Tech X program and university partnerships.

Enhanced Connectivity and Sectoral Collaboration

In transport, progress is seen through the expansion of air connectivity, such as Scoot Airlines operating at Kertajati Airport and the launch of direct flight routes to Padang and Labuan Bajo.

In agribusiness, both countries are continuing cooperation on fisheries product procurement and the finalization of technical aspects of electronic certification.

Tourism cooperation is also advancing through joint promotion of destinations to the European market and discussions on improving accessibility to tourism areas such as Labuan Bajo and Belitung.

Regional Digital Commitment and Multilateral Trade Initiatives

Minister Airlangga reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to finalizing the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) by the end of 2025.

The negotiation process was initiated during Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in September 2023 at the 23rd ASEAN Economic Community Council Meeting led by Minister Airlangga.

He also expressed appreciation for Singapore’s invitation to consider Indonesia’s participation in the Future Investment and Trade Partnership (FIT-P), an initiative proposed by Singapore, the UAE, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Minister Airlangga stated that the principles of openness, fairness, and sustainability promoted by FIT-P align with Indonesia’s trade values. The Indonesian government is currently reviewing the alignment of FIT-P with national strategic priorities.

PHOTO: KEMENKO PEREKONOMIAN

This article was created with AI assistance.