Marie Elka Pangestu, an economist at University of Indonesia, who served as trade minister during the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyo era, emphasized the importance of boosting regional trade in Southeast Asia as a new engine of growth amid China’s slowdown and weakening commodity prices.

“We need to view Asean as a single market, with a total GDP of US$2.7 trillion, comprising 7 percent of world exports, and growing consumers. Right now, of the total trade value of Asean, 24 per cent of it comes from intra-Asean trade,” she said on Monday in Jakarta.

Moreover, the regional comprehensive economic partnership ( RCEP ) must be promoted more aggressively as it could signal a new era of economic cooperation. “RCEP will comprise about 50 percent of the world population and 30 per cent of world trade. It is almost the same with the TPP.” she said.

Unfortunately, according to Mari, the connectivity ofAsean is not a part of the general consciousness ofAsean society. Most people in Indonesia do not know about the Asean Economic Community.

“In the universities, there are no subjects dealing with Asean’s integration. In 2011, there was a presidential instruction on the issue, but later political conditions confused the issue,” she said.