Indonesia Invites ASEAN-Canada Business Communities to Leverage ICA-CEPA

RRI.CO.ID, Toronto – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has invited business communities from Canada and ASEAN to leverage the momentum toward the implementation of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA). This strategic invitation was delivered before international investors and business leaders at the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) Executive Dialogue, held as part of the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, Canada, on Monday, September 14, 2026.

"Indonesia offers a market for Canadian and ASEAN investors that is not only large, but also stable and disciplined in managing its growth," he stated.

As the foundation for this cooperation, Airlangga explained that the ICA-CEPA was signed by the trade ministers of both countries and witnessed by their respective heads of state in Ottawa, Canada, in 2025. The agreement serves not only as Canada’s first bilateral trade pact with an ASEAN member state, but also marks Indonesia’s first comprehensive economic partnership in the North American region.

To foster a robust partnership, under this agreement Canada has committed to eliminating or reducing tariffs on over 90 percent of tariff lines for Indonesian products. Reciprocally, Indonesia will do the same for nearly 86 percent of tariff lines for Canadian products.

Furthermore, the ICA-CEPA opens up extensive cooperation opportunities in key sectors that complement the strengths of both countries. These strategic sectors include downstream processing of critical minerals such as nickel and battery materials, clean and renewable energy, sustainable agri-food and fisheries, infrastructure development, as well as financial services and the digital economy.

To optimize these potentials, Airlangga specifically invited investors and business actors to further explore these sectors, emphasizing that the Indonesian Government is actively establishing a conducive framework to support them. He noted that dialogues with the business community are crucial because they will serve as the spearhead in translating the benefits of the ICA-CEPA into concrete realities once the agreement takes effect. Therefore, business readiness needs to be built from an early stage.

"Today's dialogue is important because, ultimately, business players such as CABC members are the ones who will bring the ICA-CEPA to life. I encourage this forum to serve as a two-way exchange of ideas, and I also hope that the feedback gathered today can be translated into concrete follow-up actions," he remarked.

This consistency in strengthening bilateral cooperation was also reflected in other events throughout the series. On the same occasion, Airlangga delivered remarks at the CABC Reception alongside Canadian Minister of Industry, The Honourable Mélanie Joly. In that forum, he re-invited more Canadian investors to invest in Indonesia, particularly across strategic sectors such as critical minerals, energy transition, food security, and artificial intelligence (AI).