Jakarta – Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), Anindya Novyan Bakrie, believes that economic cooperation between Indonesia and India holds significant potential for further expansion in the coming years.

This was conveyed by Anindya—affectionately known as Anin—during the India–Indonesia Chamber of Commerce Jakarta Gala Dinner: Featuring the Launch of Industry Hubs & Indonesia Economic Outlook 2026, held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Central Jakarta, on Thursday evening (December 11, 2025).

Anin expressed optimism regarding the strengthening of bilateral trade relations between the two countries.

“Trade can increase from USD 25 billion to USD 50 billion. Moreover, if we combine our economies, the total GDP would reach USD 5 trillion,” Anin said.

He also highlighted the important role of the Indian diaspora, which has long lived and conducted business activities in Indonesia. According to Anin, naturally formed social ties help strengthen economic collaboration between the two nations.

“This creates enormous potential to enhance trade, investment, and knowledge transfer,” he added.

Furthermore, Anin noted that India possesses strong capabilities in education, healthcare, technology, and renewable energy. As such, the close relationship between the two countries represents a strategic opportunity to expand cooperation in these sectors.

“Our Indian diaspora friends here can serve as ambassadors of India in Indonesia and ambassadors of Indonesia to India. That is the beauty of today’s event,” Anin remarked.

Anin also pointed out that one aspect of India’s economy that Indonesia can learn from is the strength of its private sector.“India’s economy is largely driven by the private sector. Of course, there are state-owned enterprises, but it is the business community that has enabled entrepreneurship in India to move quickly,” he explained.

In addition, Anin said that India’s large population and strong domestic consumption further support its dynamic and competitive economic growth.

Amid global uncertainty and tariff wars affecting international trade chains, Anin sees an opportunity for Indonesia and India to strengthen their positions within the Global South.

“If we look at BRICS, two Global South countries with close historical ties are India and Indonesia. India is growing at 7 percent with an economy worth USD 4 trillion. Geographically, we are also close—separated only by the Indian Ocean,” Anin concluded.