ASEAN country products promoted in Doha
Products from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are exhibited at the ASEAN Festival which will take place on December 9-15 2021 at Lulu Hypermarket, Doha, Qatar.
According to the Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar Ridwan Hassan as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Doha (ACD), this activity aims to open up greater opportunities for ASEAN products to enter the Qatar and Middle East markets.
“ASEAN is a great power. By 2030, ASEAN is predicted to become the fourth largest economic power in the world. Therefore, it is proper for business people in Qatar to seriously consider ASEAN," said Ridwan in a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Doha, Friday.
In 2020, the trade volume between Qatar and ASEAN countries will reach 9 billion US dollars (around Rp. 129.3 trillion).
Qatar is also an important investor for ASEAN countries, especially in the fields of energy, finance, property, telecommunications, health, and so on.
In the social sector, currently, there are around 300,000 citizens from ASEAN living and working in Qatar. The majority of them are from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.
So far, Lulu Hypermarket has become one of the largest shopping centers to accommodate products from ASEAN countries. From Indonesia, for example, products such as food seasonings, fruits, instant noodles, or sauces have long entered Lulu.
"In the future, the opportunity for Lulu and ASEAN countries to cooperate is still very open. Moreover, products from ASEAN countries have so far been in great demand by the people of the Middle East. However, the promotion of products from ASEAN still needs to be improved, especially for agricultural products," said Ridwan.
The opening of the ASEAN Festival was held lively. Besides Lulu Hypermarket officials such as Lulu Group International Cooperation Director Muhammad Atlaf, ambassadors from ASEAN member countries, Australia, South Korea, and China were also present.
The event also featured arts, clothing, and special foods from Indonesia and from other ASEAN countries.
In the BDF, the Chinese Foreign Minister voiced the right to democracy
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced democratic rights for all citizens while speaking at the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) via video channel.
In his speech entitled "Supporting True Democracy for a Better Future for Humanity", the member of the Government Advisory Council or coordinating ministerial level said that democracy is a universally agreed upon human value.
"Democracy is not a special right of a particular country, but the right of all people around the world," he said, Thursday (9/12).
Whether a country is democratic or not, continued Wang, the people of that country will decide for themselves.
According to him, one country cannot force another country to implement the democracy that applies in its country.
For this reason, the country is very confident in implementing democracy in accordance with the aspirations of its people.
"And we really respect democracy in other countries. We will not export our democracy. We are ready to dialogue and exchange ideas with other countries according to the principle of equality," he said.
"We respect national sovereignty and defend the basic norms of international relations. We support democratic concepts with Asian characteristics," he added.
He invited countries in Asia to jointly uphold solidarity in overcoming global challenges.
Wang explained that since the formation of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) has guided its people to find a new form of democracy that suits the conditions of their country.
This year's BDF carries the theme "Democracy for Humanity: Promoting Economic and Social Justice in a Time of Pandemic". Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi was also present as a speaker.
Earlier on Sunday (5/12), Wang held a meeting with the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in Zhejiang Province, China.