Widodo, Mugabe stress need for stronger cooperation between Asia and Africa

Indonesian President Joko Widodo spoke of the need for stronger cooperation between Asia and Africa on economy and trade during the Asia-Africa Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.  (Photo grabbed from Reuters video/Courtesy Reuters)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo spoke of the need for stronger cooperation between Asia and Africa on economy and trade during the Asia-Africa Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo grabbed from Reuters video/Courtesy Reuters)

(Eagle News, April 22) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe spoke of the need for a much stronger and more vital partnership between Asia and Africa during the 60th Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta where more than 30 heads of state from the two continents are attending.

In their speeches, the two leaders who both chair the ongoing summit stressed the importance of strengthened cooperation between the two regions and the need to further implement projects on the economic development in Asia and Africa that will propel the countries in the two regions to achieve their growth targets.

Widodo stressed that Asia and Africa could shape the future of the world.

“I want to convey our belief that the future of the world lies on the equator; our future is on the two continents, Asia and Africa,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency during the opening of the 60th Asian-African Conference Commemoration in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Widodo also called for a new global order that is open to emerging economic powers as he referred to imbalances in the global political structure that hampering the development of Asian and African countries.

“To reform the global architecture, there is a need for a collective global leadership,” Jokowi said in his speech.

Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe, who is co-chairing the conference in his capacity as African Union chairman, expressed his admiration for the economic growth in Asia which he said had already escaped from the traditional roles given by colonial powers as mere producers of raw products and importers of primary goods.

He noted how many of the countries in Asia had now made economic progress as they had become producers of manufactured or processed goods.

Heads of state and other leaders of various Asian and African countries pose for a picture during the Asian-African summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.  (Photo grabbed from Reuters video/Courtesy Reuters)
Heads of state and other leaders of various Asian and African countries pose for a picture during the Asian-African summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo grabbed from Reuters video/Courtesy Reuters)

In his speech on Wednesday, April 22, highlighting the 60th anniversary of the conference, Mugabe said it important that the two regions actually implement the projects on cooperation between Asia and Africa so that the partnership would not be merely “ritualistic.”

“We are at a stage where we actually implement projects of cooperation.  Without this, our partnership remains ritualistic and will serve no particularly compelling purpose,” Mugabe said.

He said here lies the vitality of the new partnership between the Asian and African regions .

He also stressed the importance of infrastructure projects to propel development.

On Tuesday, Indonesian President Widodo urged for an increase in cooperation on trade and hoped for a breakthrough at the Asian African Business Summit that would strengthen relations between the continents.

Widodo emphasized the importance of cooperation and the value of the summit itself during his address.

“I believe the (business) forum is a place to realize and strengthen the spirit of Bandung through cooperation and investment that ensure mutual benefits. Cooperation will benefit developing economies and people, and I hope there will be a breakthrough (during the summit) that will further strengthen the relations between the two continents,” he said.

Widodo also stressed the need to enact good policies and abide by international trade laws to ensure cooperation produced fair results.

“We must increase our cooperation – especially in economic and trade sectors. We must enact good policies and take the right actions to minimize the burden of tariff and non-tariff trade, and (we must) encourage direct trade by enhancing trade facilitation. All the steps I have mentioned must be carried out orderly and must abide by the principles of international trade in order to be mutually beneficial,” he added.

Following the business summit, there will be a two-day meeting between heads of state.

Thirty-four state leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and leaders from theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to attend.

The various heads of state attending the summit are expected the share their countries’ economic development experiences.

The first meeting of Asian and African leaders was held in 1955 in Indonesia’s Bandung. The first Asian-African summit was meant to address peace, security and economic issues during the cold war between the United States and Russia when the two blocs were competing to win support from Asian and African countries.  (Eagle News Service with a report from Reuters)