Germany Seeks to Strengthen Economic Cooperation with Indonesia

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Germany sees significant opportunities to expand economic cooperation with Indonesia amid shifts in the global geopolitical landscape. Changes in the strategic order are encouraging middle powers to adapt while strengthening partnerships with other countries.

German Ambassador to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor-Leste Ralf Beste said changes in the positions of major powers are also affecting the global strategic environment. He said the situation has made Germany’s cooperation with Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, increasingly important.

“We see a lot of potential, and perhaps the biggest potential for a country like Germany is to expand cooperation, especially in the economic sector, with Indonesia,” Beste said when met during the 3rd ASEAN Think Tanks Summit at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Beste said Indonesia has a strategic position as the largest country in Southeast Asia and the location of the ASEAN headquarters. This makes Indonesia an important regional player and one of the countries that continues to draw Germany’s attention.

According to him, economic relations are also an important part of Germany’s partnership with Indonesia and ASEAN as a whole. He said ASEAN is a major trading partner for the European Union and one of the EU’s largest trading partners outside Europe.

Beyond the economic sector, Germany also sees increasingly strong security links between the Indo-Pacific and Europe. This makes security developments in Southeast Asia an area of concern for Europe’s strategic interests.

In trade, the European Union is currently prioritizing several bilateral agreements with ASEAN member states. The EU is also completing the ratification process for a free trade agreement with Indonesia through the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA).

Beste said establishing a comprehensive ASEAN-EU free trade agreement would still take time. For now, the European Union is prioritizing the completion of bilateral agreements with several ASEAN member states. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)