Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan (right) holds a bilateral meeting with the UK's Minister of State for International Trade Nigel Huddleston on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting in Semarang, Indonesia, on August 20. (Source: ANTARA) Hasan said that he and British Minister of State for InternationalTrade Nigel Huddleston discussed the UK's environmental policies while bearing inmind the EUDR during their bilateral meeting on August 20 on the sidelines ofthe 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Semarang.
Hopefully, the UK will not implement policies that could harm Indonesia's agricultural products, he was quoted by local media as saying after themeeting.
In addition to environmental policies, Hasan revealed thathe and Minister Huddleston made the most of their meeting to discuss about theupgrade of the two countries' Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) into aComprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The two sides encouraged the optimisation of JETCO byupgrading it into a CEPA to explore comprehensive partnership negotiations, hesaid.
Meanwhile, Huddleston reaffirmed his support for Indonesia'sefforts to develop the digital economy, including the digitalisation movementfor small and medium and micro enterprises.
Earlier in July, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuagaurged the UK to implement a policy of balance, equality and fairness foragricultural products exported from Indonesia.
The total value of the trade between Indonesia and the UKwas recorded at 1.42 billion USD during the January-June 2023 period, withIndonesia's exports to the UK reaching 837.4 million USD and imports of 590.5million USD./.