Kuala lumpur: Indonesia has called upon fellow ASEAN member countries to embrace the spirit of mutual cooperation (gotong-royong) as a panacea to strengthen collaboration to ease escalating geopolitical tensions regionally. Indonesia Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri said the recently concluded ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM)-ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) Council and ASEAN Free Trade Council (AFTA) meetings could serve as vital platforms to address and mitigate such challenges. Such an approach, which can be regarded as the “ASEAN Way,” is vital for ASEAN to strengthen collaboration in addressing the escalating geopolitical situation, she said.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dyah expressed hope for better collaboration among ASEAN countries, particularly by utilizing these platforms to ensure there is sufficient discussion and spirit to continuously work together in the spirit of gotong-royong. She emphasized the importance of this approach to navigate the current geopolitical situation during her comments at the 28th AIA Council meeting held in conjunction with the 57th AEM and related meetings. Dyah added that embracing the ASEAN Way could be key in steering future progress.

This morning, ministers gathered for the 39th AFTA Council and the 28th AIA Council meetings to discuss global and regional economic issues, take stock of regional economic achievements, and explore ways to expand economic cooperation among member states. Meanwhile, during the AFTA Council meeting, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz stated that the grouping would intensify efforts to deepen regional economic integration and revive intra-regional trade, which is currently at about 20 to 22 percent.

With nearly 700 million people, he said, ASEAN is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic consumer bases and holds immense potential. At the AIA Council meeting later, Tengku Zafrul noted that despite ongoing global uncertainties, ASEAN had continued to retain its unique strength, attracting robust foreign direct investments (FDI), particularly in sectors such as digitalization, sustainable energy, high-value manufacturing, and financial services.

He reported that FDI into ASEAN rose by nine percent in 2024 to US$226 billion, accounting for 15 percent of global FDI inflows, hence maintaining its position as the top FDI recipient among developing regions for the fourth consecutive year.