Indonesian Business Council, SEAFIC In Tie-up To Promote Impactful Regional Economic Integration
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- The Indonesian Business Council (IBC) and the newly founded Southeast Asia Futures Initiative Centre (SEAFIC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen research collaboration and policy dialogue for the region.
Among other objectives, the collaboration aims to bolster Indonesia’s competitive edge, deepen regional integration, and align business needs with more measurable and implementable policy directions.
“Through this partnership, IBC and SEAFIC will conduct regular consultations, develop joint research, and formulate policy recommendations on mutually agreed-upon strategic issues,” said IBC and Kuala Lumpur-based SEAFIC in a joint statement today.
They said the focus will include regional economic resilience, cross-border connectivity, and issues that directly impact trade flows and investment decisions.
“With the IBC, we want to strengthen the bridge between analysis, business needs, and practical policy recommendations to strengthen integration and economic resilience in Southeast Asia,” said SEAFIC founder and chairman Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
He stressed the importance of cooperation that goes beyond mere discourse.
“Our region needs more focused, foresight-based and evidence-based collaboration,” he said.
Meanwhile, IBC chair of the board of trustees Arsjad Rasjid said that amid rising trade risks and supply chain fragmentation, ASEAN must move in a coordinated manner, with a strong orientation toward practical solutions.
“This cooperation is designed to strengthen grounded, evidence-based policy dialogue that can respond to the needs of the business community and reinforce the regional economy,” he said.
IBC chief executive officer Sofyan Djalil said that this collaboration aims to strengthen competitiveness through quality decision-making and clear direction.
“Competitiveness is not a slogan. It is born from clear, consistent policies that can be translated into concrete projects.
“With SEAFIC, IBC aims to expand its knowledge base and regional network to further strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness agenda,” he said.
The MoU signing ceremony was held during SEAFIC’s soft launch, which featured a high-level policy dialogue bringing together senior regional leaders and visionaries to discuss “ASEAN’s Golden Decade: Turning Geopolitical Overload into Geoeconomic Opportunity”.
SEAFIC is being established as a regional think tank to advance future research, evidence-based policy dialogue, and strategic studies on Southeast Asia’s economic, technological, and governance transitions.
-- BERNAMA
