Washington, DC – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the Strategic Enhancement of Bilateral Trade and Investment Cooperation with the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC).

The signing took place on the sidelines of the US–Indonesia Economic Dialogue organized by the US-ABC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), and the US-Indonesia Society (USINDO), in collaboration with Kadin Indonesia. The event was held at the USCC headquarters in Washington, DC, on Thursday (February 19, 2026), local time.

Kadin Indonesia Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie stated that the agreement aims to expand market access for Indonesian businesses in the United States.

“The signing between Kadin and the US-ASEAN Business Council is essentially about how we can expand market opportunities for our traders, our investors from Indonesia, and our entrepreneurs to access the U.S. market,” said Anindya, who is commonly known as Anin.

As an example, Anin highlighted the footwear sector. He noted that Indonesia’s footwear exports to the United States currently stand at around US$120 million, while Vietnam has reached approximately US$600 million.

“That is almost four to five times higher,” Anin said.

According to him, this gap indicates significant opportunities for Indonesia to improve its export performance, provided it remains competitive, particularly in terms of tariffs.

“Indonesia now has the opportunity to increase all of this as long as we remain competitive, especially in terms of tariffs. At the same time, Indonesia has the opportunity to increase trade volumes, which will ultimately drive growth, create jobs, and support the broader economy,” Anin explained.

He added that Kadin is currently focused on supporting businesses that are already active exporters, including those in the garment, textile, footwear, furniture, and electronics sectors. However, the cooperation is not solely oriented toward boosting trade. Anin emphasized the importance of encouraging greater U.S. investment into Indonesia.

“Remember, Indonesia requires substantial investment up to US$60 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). This is also one way for us to achieve that,” Anin said.

Furthermore, Anin assessed that the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade currently being prepared by Indonesia and the United States could become a historic milestone in bilateral economic relations.

“The trade agreement that will be signed by both countries could truly become historic, ensuring that trade and investment continue to grow bringing jobs and economic expansion,” Anin said.

He also underscored the importance of strengthening national workforce capacity and technological capabilities to support Indonesia’s economic transformation toward higher value-added industries.

“This will enable Indonesia to become a more advanced nation, gradually transforming its economy into industries with greater added value,” Anin concluded.

Among those in attendance were Shinta W. Kamdani, Coordinating Vice Chair for Human Development, Culture, and Sustainable Development at Kadin Indonesia and Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO); Pahala Mansury, Vice Chair for Trade and International Agreements; Bernardino M. Vega, Vice Chair for Foreign Affairs; and Tony Wenas, Vice Chair for Downstreaming and President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia.