Bertemu Duta Besar USTR | Mendag Tawarkan Kerjasama Ekonomi Digital | OBROLANBISNIS.com — Menteri Perdagangan Muhammad Lutfi melakukan pertemuan bilateral dengan Duta Besar United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai di Washington DC, Amerika Serikat, 11 Mei 2022.
Kerjasama ekonomi digital ASEAN-Amerika Serikat menjadi salah satu isu penting yang dibicarakan dalam kerangka pembahasan isu ekonomi bilateral, regional dan multilateral.
Pertemuan dilakukan di sela rangkaian Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi (KTT) Khusus ASEAN-Amerika Serikat pada 11-13 Mei 2022, Mendag Lutfi menyampaikan, elemen ekonomi digital menjadi isu yang sangat signifikan dalam menavigasi pemulihan arus perdagangan di kawasan.
Namun, platform lintas batas ini memiliki tantangan tersendiri yang dapat memberikan tekanan cukup kuat bagi para pelaku usaha mikro, kecil, dan menengah (UMKM).
Hal ini mengingat dinamika perdagangan internasional yang kontraproduktif dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi dalam dua tahun terakhir. Misalnya, pandemi Covid-19, distorsi terhadap rantai pasok global dan regional, eskalasi konflik Rusia dan Ukraina, hingga kepercayaan dunia terhadap sistem perdagangan multilateral.
“Untuk itu, perlu kerja sama seluruh negara dalam menghentikan upaya-upaya kapitalisme modern yang saat ini berkembang di platform digital,” tegas Mendag Lutfi.
Pada pertemuan tersebut, Mendag Lutfi juga menyampaikan rencana pelaksanaan Pertemuan Khusus ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) pada 18 Mei 2022 di Bali.
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Sementera Duta Besar Katherine Tai menyampaikan, program Amerika Serikat dalam pembangunan ekonomi di kawasan Indo-Pasifik dan Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara yang memiliki pengaruh cukup signifikan di kawasan Asia Tenggara.
Menurutnya, agenda Pemerintah Amerika Serikat di kawasan Indo-Pasifik adalah melalui perwujudan Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) yang memiliki fleksibilitas dan terdiri atas empat pilar utama yang saling terkait.
Keempat pilar tersebut yaitu Fair and Resilient Trade, Supply Chain Resilience, Infrastructure, Clean Energy dan Decarbonization; dan Tax and Anti-Corruption.
Lebih lanjut, Duta Besar Katherine Tai menitikberatkan penjelasan IPEF pada pilar Fair and Resilient Trade yang mencakup penyusunan prinsip-prinsip, aturan, standar, kolaborasi terkait ekonomi digital yang dewasa ini menimbulkan tantangan serta oportunitas tersendiri.
Duta Besar Katherine Tai menegaskan, Pemerintah AS berupaya membangun suatu keterikatan yang didukung oleh sektor bisnis di kawasan melalui pembangunan ekonomi yang semakin tangguh, berkelanjutan, memberikan lebih banyak insentif bagi dunia usaha, dan meningkatkan inklusifitas namun bukan sesuatu yang dipandang sebagai kebijakan anti Tiongkok.
“IPEF bukan kerangka kerja sama perdagangan tradisional dan memerlukan keterikatan yang lebih erat dalam menciptakan inovasi kerjasama perdagangan baru dengan negara atau ekonomi baru. Amerika Serikat sangat terbuka dalam mengembangkan sesuatu yang inovatif dan berbeda yang mungkin akan memiliki elemen-elemen perjanjian perdagangan sebagai platform untuk melanjutkan kolaborasi,” jelas Duta Besar Tai.
Pada pertemuan dibahas juga beberapa isu yang menjadi perhatian Indonesia dan Amerika Serikat. Isu tersebut di antaranya tentang rokok keretek, WTO, dan beberapa isu bilateral seperti Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Intellectual Property Right (IPR), serta komitmen dalam kesepakatan Indonesia-Amerika Serikat.
Pada pertemuan, kedua perwakilan akan mengupayakan pertemuan bilateral lanjutan di sela Pertemuan Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Ministers Responsible for Trade APEC-MRT atau Pertemuan the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC-12) mendatang. ***
Meet the USTR Ambassador | Trade Minister Offers Digital Economy Cooperation | OBROLANBISNIS.com — Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi held a bilateral meeting with the Ambassador of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai in Washington DC, United States, May 11, 2022.
ASEAN-United States digital economic cooperation is one of the important issues discussed in the framework of discussing bilateral, regional and multilateral economic issues.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Special High Level Conference (KTT) on 11-13 May 2022, Trade Minister Lutfi conveyed that the digital economy element is a very significant issue in navigating the recovery of trade flows in the region.
However, this cross-border platform has its own challenges that can put quite strong pressure on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
This is in view of the counterproductive dynamics of international trade with economic growth in the last two years. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic, the distortion of global and regional supply chains, the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, to the world’s trust in the multilateral trading system.
“For this reason, it is necessary for all countries to cooperate in stopping the efforts of modern capitalism which is currently developing on digital platforms,” said Trade Minister Lutfi.
At the meeting, Trade Minister Lutfi also conveyed the plan to hold the ASEAN Economic Ministers Special Meeting (AEM) on 18 May 2022 in Bali.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Katherine Tai said that the United States program in economic development in the Indo-Pacific region and Indonesia is one of the countries that has a significant influence in the Southeast Asia region.
According to him, the United States Government’s agenda in the Indo-Pacific region is through the realization of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) which has flexibility and consists of four main interrelated pillars.
The four pillars are Fair and Resilient Trade, Supply Chain Resilience, Infrastructure, Clean Energy and Decarbonization; and Tax and Anti-Corruption.
Furthermore, Ambassador Katherine Tai emphasized IPEF’s explanation on the Fair and Resilient Trade pillar which includes the preparation of principles, rules, standards, collaboration related to the digital economy which currently poses its own challenges and opportunities.
Ambassador Katherine Tai emphasized that the US Government is trying to build an engagement that is supported by the business sector in the region through economic development that is more resilient, sustainable, providing more incentives for businesses, and increasing inclusiveness but not something that is seen as an anti-China policy.
“IPEF is not a traditional trade cooperation framework and requires closer engagement in creating new trade cooperation innovations with new countries or economies. The United States is very open to developing something innovative and different that might have elements of a trade agreement as a platform for continued collaboration,” said Ambassador Tai.
At the meeting, several issues of concern to Indonesia and the United States were also discussed. These issues include kretek cigarettes, the WTO, and several bilateral issues such as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), as well as commitments in the Indonesia-United States agreement.
At the meeting, the two representatives will seek further bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Ministers Responsible for Trade APEC-MRT Meeting or the upcoming Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC-12). ***
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