InfoSAWIT, GQEBERHA – Indonesian Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso, affirmed Indonesia's commitment to continuously strengthen a fair and rule-based multilateral trading system. This was conveyed during his meeting with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the sidelines of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) in Gqeberha, South Africa, on Friday (10/10/2025).

In the meeting, Minister Budi expressed appreciation for DG Ngozi's leadership in maintaining trust among WTO members amid rising global economic tensions. He asserted that Indonesia remains a strong supporter of the multilateral trading system that upholds the principles of fairness and openness.

"Indonesia highly values the WTO's efforts to ensure global trade serves as an engine for economic recovery and sustainable development," said Minister Budi in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Wednesday (15/10/2025).

The meeting also discussed strategic issues ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), scheduled for March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Indonesia stressed its readiness to actively contribute to discussions on key topics, including agriculture, fisheries subsidies, tariffs on electronic transmissions (CDET), e-commerce, and the agenda for WTO institutional reform.

Minister Budi also highlighted the importance of dispute settlement reform to ensure it returns to full functionality and is accessible to all members, deeming it a crucial foundation for maintaining the WTO's credibility and effectiveness. (T2)