Indonesia and the United States (US) have continued to strengthen cooperation in developing a green and sustainable economy, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and US President Joe Biden held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the COP26 meeting at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss this cooperation.
“President Widodo and President Biden agreed to increase cooperation regarding the development of the green economy between the two countries,” Hartarto noted in an official statement issued here on Thursday.
This agreement is in line with Indonesia’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and lower deforestation rates and forest fires, he said.
In his meeting with President Biden, President Widodo also discussed a number of issues related to Indo-Pacific geopolitics and Indonesia’s chairmanship of the G20 in 2022, he informed.
The Indonesian government will take advantage of the G20 Presidency to materialize a number of collaborations to promote national economic recovery through inclusive digital transformation for growth and development.
“President Biden expressed his support for Indonesia’s G20 Presidency,” Hartarto added.
The bilateral relationship between Indonesia and the US is very strategic because the US has helped Indonesia in handling COVID-19 by sending vaccines, ventilators, and therapeutic drugs, he informed.
During the meeting, Widodo expressed Indonesia’s interest in becoming a part of the global supply chain in the health sector through the development of the national health industry, the minister said.
In between the COP26 meeting, Minister Hartarto met with Bill Gates, who was accompanied by the president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to discuss several potential collaborations.
These collaborations include co-production of mRNA vaccines, a diverse taxonomy of bananas in Indonesia in collaboration with LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Sciences), as well as discussions related to inclusive finance, he said.
Hartarto also accompanied Widodo to a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. During the meeting, Widodo encouraged the UK to increase cooperation with Indonesia in the research field and health sector, he said.
In addition, President Widodo also invited more British investment to Indonesia, especially in priority sectors such as manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and health, he added.