• Airlangga Hartarto: Indonesian traders are leveraging Dubai’s status as a strategic hub to expand into Africa and South America.  
• Asim Al Abbasi: Dubai plenty of competitive advantages to offer the largest economy in the RCEP countries

Dubai, UAE – Dubai is an ideal partner to help Indonesia expand its trade into lucrative new markets, according to industry experts speaking at the first-ever Global Business Forum (GBF) ASEAN, which is being hosted on the side-lines of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Organised by Dubai Chamber under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, GBF ASEAN is exploring ways of increasing bilateral trade and commerce between Dubai and the 10-member stares that make up the Association of South East Asian Nations. 

The second day of the forum featured a session titled ‘Define - Reform and Growth,’ with H.E. Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia and Asim Al Abbasi, Chief Financial Officer at DP World participating joining a ‘fireside chat’ to discuss trade relations between Indonesia and the UAE.

H.E Hartarto, confirmed that Indonesia, as the largest economy in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries, is keen to expand its trade network to African and South American markets utilising the massive logistic abilities of Dubai.

“As the country has the largest population in the RCEP region and the strongest emerging economy, the Indonesian economic landscape focuses more on increasing the manufacturing abilities and adopting the advanced technology to raise efficiency and productivity. We believe that DP World can help a lot in supporting our mission in lowering the logistic cost and enhancing our national logistic ecosystem,” he said.

For his part, Al Abbasi said: “Historically, the Arab world has played a vital role in being the central hub of the global trade, connecting the Asian and European markets. Today, through our flagship Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), we continue to lead the internal trade market through full adoption of modern technologies and enhancing the logistic services to be mostly automated and increase its efficiency.”

“Our Strategy to utilise Blockchain technology is in line with the UAE government efforts in supporting the digitalisation in the logistic operational system. We are witnessing more transparency and less human intervention in the current logistic operations, and we will continue to fully adopt the technological advancement to enrich our services to increase its competitive advantages,” he added.

GBF ASEAN is the newest addition to Dubai Chamber’s Global Business Forum series, which also includes GBF Africa and GBF Latin America. The inaugural GBF ASEAN, which concludes today (Thursday, December 9th) is the second of three Global Business Forums that are taking place in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai, for which Dubai Chambers is the Official Business Integration Partner.

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For Editors:

Dubai Chamber mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business and promoting Dubai as an international business hub. Since its establishment, the Chamber has contributed to strengthening Dubai's position as a global destination in the world of finance, business and investment. The Chamber provides a wide range of services that enhance business competitiveness and support sector companies through facilitating the conduct of their business, including issuing certificates of origin, providing data and economic research, providing mediation and commercial arbitration services, receiving foreign trade delegations and sending commercial missions abroad. As well as organising forums, seminars, business meetings and training courses for representatives of the business community, serving business groups and councils, providing credit rating services, and a large number of specialised smart services that meet the needs of members and enhance the investment environment in Dubai.

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About Expo 2020 Dubai:

From October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes visitors from all over the world, helping to create a new world, while bringing the entire planet together to reshape the future. Under the slogan “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 represents the incubator of the most influential ideas in the world, stimulating the exchange of new visions and inspiring movement towards finding realistic solutions to real world challenges. Expo 2020 Dubai will be the largest cultural gathering in the world, as it will provide amazing and inspiring experiences over a 182 days, and more than 200 entities will contribute to these experiences, including countries, multilateral organisations, companies, and educational institutions, as well as millions of people.  Expo 2020’s subthemes, Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, will inspire visitors to conserve and protect our planet, explore new horizons, and create a better future for all. Over a period of six months, Expo 2020 will be an ideal destination for families, filled with thousands of activities and wonderful exploration experiences, and will provide free admission for children under the age of 18. Expo 2020 is committed to build a more equal, just and equitable world for all, while maintaining the safety of visitors, by following the latest guidelines issued by world-leading experts in the fields of medicine, science and health. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first International Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, and its location extends over an area of ​​4.38 square kilometres in “Dubai South” near Al Maktoum International Airport. The Expo site represents a practical application of innovation and was built with a vision to being a meaningful and remarkable long-term legacy. After the conclusion of the Expo 2020, it will turn into District 2020, which constitutes a model for a global community that reshapes the features of the cities of the future.

For more information, please contact:

Ruba Abdel Halim

Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry
PR &Corporate Communications Department

Tel: +971 4 2028450

Email: ruba.halim@dubaichamber.com