In a key address at the ASEAN‑Indo‑Pacific Forum 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Prabowo Subianto, via Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to leverage the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as a strategic platform for resilient, rules-based trade in the Indo-Pacific region. He emphasised that by deepening integration and collaboration, especially through RCEP which remains open to new entrants, ASEAN can safeguard long-term prosperity and regional stability. The President also highlighted the need to speed up the green energy transition via joint initiatives such as the ASEAN Common Carbon Framework and the ASEAN Power Grid. 

Prabowo asserted that the Indo-Pacific region, which hosts 60% of the world’s population and contributes around 60% of global GDP, is the engine of global growth and trade. He warned that inclusive growth is essential so that no country or community is left behind, projecting that by 2030 two-thirds of the world’s middle class will be in this region. Cooperation between government and the private sector is central to turning challenges into opportunities, he noted, underscoring that peace and prosperity are achieved only when public and private actors work together.

Source: https://thesun.my/news/asia/indonesia-urges-asean-to-use-rcep-for-resilient-indo-pacific-trade/