Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has affirmed that ASEAN Plus Three (APT) cooperation involving Japan, China, and South Korea must support the development of an inclusive regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific."We must ensure that APT can become a strong anchor to boost the sustainability of our development," Retno Marsudisaid at an APT meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi; director of the Office of China's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi; and the Foreign Minister of South Korea, Park Jin, in Jakarta on Thursday. PT must be more innovative in adapting to climate change, reducing emissions, and accelerating the energy transition, she stressed. "I suggest that APT start cooperation in developing the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem," she added. The Indonesian minister also urged the three ASEAN dialogue partners to reinforce regional resilience by strengthening the Chiang Mai Initiative, which is aimed at responding to the financial crisis, as well as Emergency Rice Reserve to address food supply disruptions. "APT must be an integral part of ensuring our regions solid to face the crisis that may come anytime," the minister said. PT is a framework of cooperation between 10 ASEAN member states with Japan, China, and South Korea that has existed since 2007. The cooperation carried out under APT has covered trade, investment, finance and banking, technology transfer, industry, agriculture, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), tourism, business networking, and science and technology.

Source: Antara News Agency