FPCI Public Forum on Indonesia’s Economic and Political Outlook 2021

Following the contraction at -5.32% in the second and -3.49% in the third quarter of 2020, Indonesia’s economy has fallen into recession. Nevertheless, World Bank and IMF came with positive news as they predicted Indonesian economy to expand between 4.8% – 6.1% next year. The arrival of vaccine in Indonesia also increases public confidence that Indonesia’s economy will soon recover. However, economic rebound still depends on various factors, including politics. What would Indonesian economic and political landscape looks like next year? When will our economic activities return to normalcy? What kind of policy breakthroughs are needed to spur reforms and transformations for a resilient recovery?

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FPCI-Huawei Virtual Public Forum “Towards A More Digitized ASEAN: Shifting Currents, Opportunities, and Challenges in Time of Pandemic”

COVID-19 has reinforced the strategic role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in navigating regional resilience in a time of crisis. The pandemic demonstrated the use of technology in practice to keep business, governments, and societies running. However, every country has a different capacity in utilizing ICT to respond to COVID-19. How does ASEAN address this ‘digital gap’? How does the Master Plan of ASEAN Connectivity 2025 help in strengthening digital connectivity in the region? How has COVID-19 shifted the digital landscape in Southeast Asia thus far? What are the key challenges in transforming towards a more digitized community?

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RCEP: What’s Inside the Agreement and Will It Change the Region’s Economic Future?

After almost a decade in the making, the world’s largest free-trade bloc has finally been finalized in the direst of times. As the world faces an economic recession, RCEP delivers new hopes for its signatories to rebuild better, and most importantly, bounce back stronger in overcoming the threats posed by the pandemic. Bringing together major players of Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, and Oceania, the signing of this historic pact indicates that countries are searching for hope in surviving the pandemic through multilateralism.

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FPCI – Global Town Hall 2020 – Rebuilding From The COVID-19 World

Global Town Hall is a 15-hour marathon discussion where world leaders and high-level experts will discuss on the theme, “Rebuilding from the COVID-19 World.” The conference will discuss the state of the world beset by the COVID-19 crisis, evaluate policy challenges and lessons learned, and gather ideas for future direction, especially in terms of how to rebuild the world economically, socially, environmentally, diplomatically and even geopolitically. Global Town Hall is organized by a consortium of 12 reputable think-tanks from around the world and will be watched by a global audience.

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ASEAN-China Survey 2020 Report

In welcoming the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-China relations next year, FPCI Research & Analysis department conducted a public survey about the ASEAN-China relationship from June until October 2020. The survey is titled “ASEAN-China Survey 2020: Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations.” The survey involved 1000 respondents from 10 ASEAN Member States and coming from five segments of the general public: government officials, academia, business community, civil society, and students.

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Halo, @China! Video Competition

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Indonesia-China bilateral relations, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Jakarta has launched a nationwide online video competition titled “Halo, @China! Video Competition”, which reflects the start of a conversation between Indonesians and a (virtual) Chinese audience.

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FPCI Virtual Public Forum on Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations

FPCI Virtual Public Forum on Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations

On Friday, 4 September 2020, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) convened a virtual public forum on “Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations.” This public forum served as a form of ‘community briefing’ for ASEAN nationals on the preliminary findings of FPCI’s ASEAN-China Survey 2020. The forum was begin with an opening remarks from Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Founder of FPCI.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Shofwan Al Banna, Head of Undergraduate Programme of International Relations Department at the University of Indonesia, who is also the Senior Advisor of ASEAN-China Survey 2020 featuring the following panelists:
1) Dr. Kin Phea, Director General, International Relations Institute of Cambodia (IRIC)
2) Dr. Jayant Menon, Visiting Senior Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore
3) Dr. Ha Anh Tuan, Executive Director, Foundation for East Sea (SCS) Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV)

The panel highlighted achievements that ASEAN and China have reached together and delivered substantive insights into identified challenges, gaps to be addressed, and opportunities to seize, based on the perspectives of the region’s grassroots community.

Key Takeaways of ASEAN-China Survey DiscussionDownload

FPCI Virtual Discussion “Calming Troubled Waters in the South China Sea”

From the past few months, tension in the South China Sea has been rising. On July 13, 2020, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a press statement reaffirmed the United States’ commitment in the Indo-Pacific and rejected Beijing’s claims on the offshoring of resources in most of the South China Sea. Secretary Pompeo noted that the PRC has been “bullying” Southeast Asian claimants like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. On the other side, the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian called out the United States for its “intensified meddling” in the South China Sea maritime disputes, and accused the US as using the South China Sea issue as a “geopolitical game. In the middle of China and the United States’ disputes, Indonesia just recently conducted a four-day exercise in the area, which was noted by observers as a “major show of force” against Chinese claims to the area and for CCG vessels that have repeatedly trespassed Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

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