Heaptalk, Jakarta — President Joko Widodo officially opened the 39th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) held at Hall Nusantara, Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD), Tangerang Regency, Banten Province, on Wednesday (10/09).
In his remarks, Jokowi highlighted global challenges affecting world economic growth and international trade while emphasizing the importance of innovation in marketing Indonesian products to the worldwide market. “The global economy is still growing slowly, around 2.6% to 2.7%. Inflation continues to haunt many countries, with global inflation estimates at around 5.9%. Additionally, conventional and trade wars are ongoing, causing countries to implement restrictive trade policies,” said Jokowi at the 39th TEI opening ceremony.
He also pointed out the issue of overproduction in China, which has raised concerns about an influx of cheap imported products in many countries. Therefore, the President stressed that Indonesia, as the fourth-largest population in the world, must be able to protect its domestic market and strengthen the export of its flagship products abroad.
Jokowi stated, “As a country with a large market, with the fourth-largest population in the world, 280 million people, we must be able to protect our domestic market. We must be able to market our products to dominate the domestic market while expanding widely into foreign markets.”
Facing trade wars and inflation affecting many countries, Jokowi sees opportunities for Indonesia to strengthen its position in the global market. He believes that the digital era should be maximized to promote Indonesian products. He added, “When many countries impose restrictions due to trade wars, there is an opportunity. When many countries face high inflation, I also see that as an opportunity.”
The 39th TEI is being held in a hybrid format, offline and online, to introduce Indonesia’s flagship products to the global market. He hopes this exhibition can boost Indonesia’s export growth and enhance the quality and competitiveness of national products in international markets. “We must be able to take advantage of this momentum to drive higher export growth, improve the quality and competitiveness of our products, and penetrate even broader markets,” Jokowi concluded.
