Govt: ASEAN Must Expand Secure and Inclusive Digital Ecosystem

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has underscored the importance of strengthening ASEAN cooperation in building an open, secure, interoperable, and inclusive digital ecosystem amid intensifying global technological competition and increasingly complex geopolitical dynamics.

The Ministry's Secretary-General, Ismail, said that ASEAN is facing new challenges marked by shifting geopolitical dynamics, growing technological competition, global supply chain disruptions, and rising concerns over cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and the governance of emerging technologies.

"ASEAN operates in an increasingly complex global environment characterized by evolving geopolitical dynamics, technological competition, and supply chains, as well as growing concerns over cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and the governance of emerging technologies," Ismail said while opening the 2026 ADGSOM-ATRC Joint Working Group Meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 30, 2026

According to him, these developments require ASEAN to preserve its centrality by strengthening solidarity among member states while expanding constructive cooperation with dialogue partners.

He emphasized that regional collaboration is essential to ensuring that digital transformation delivers tangible benefits to society while safeguarding the region's shared interests amid the rapid pace of technological advancement.

"By working together, ASEAN can continue to ensure that digital transformation serves as a driver of stability, economic growth, innovation, and sustainable development across the region, while protecting our shared interests in an increasingly interconnected world," he said, as quoted by Infopublik.id on Friday, July 3, 2026.

Ismail also highlighted that the first year of implementing the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2030 (ADM 2030) marks an important milestone in strengthening regional digital cooperation over the next five years.

According to him, the master plan provides a strategic framework to guide ASEAN member states in anticipating emerging technological developments while ensuring that the region remains adaptive to the rapidly evolving global digital landscape.

"ADM 2030 will serve as a guiding framework to ensure that ASEAN remains prepared for emerging technologies and is able to respond effectively to the rapidly changing digital landscape," he said.