President Jokowi Showcases His Maritime Axis Vision At East

Nay Pyi Taw, Nov 13 (Antara) - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo officially introduced his vision of transforming Indonesia into a global maritime axis to the world leaders attending the Ninth East Asian Summit (EAS) here on Thursday. "Indonesia is aware that a major transformation is going on in this 21st Century. The world`s geo-economic and geo-political center of gravity has shifted from the West to East Asia. The Asian nations are rising," Jokowi affirmed. And Indonesia was located right in the middle of the strategic change process geographically, politically, and economically, he emphasized. Indonesia`s three archipelagic sea lanes (ALKI) are the world`s maritime traffic "lanes." "Therefore, as a maritime nation, Indonesia must affirm itself as the world`s maritime axis, as a power located between the two oceans - the Indian and Pacific oceans," Jokowi noted. Its position as the global maritime axis will unfold opportunities for Indonesia to establish cooperation, both regionally and internationally, for the welfare of its people, according to Jokowi. Jokowi said he had decided to introduce his vision on maritime axis in the EAS as Indonesia considered the summit to play a crucial role in maintaining security, stability, and economic prosperity in the region. Having enjoyed an annual average economic growth of seven percent and a total GDP of around US$40 trillion, the East Asian region is the most dynamic region economically, given the fact that some 40 percent of the global trade takes place in the region. The plenary session of EAS was attended by ten leaders of the ASEAN member nations: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong of Laos, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, Prime Minister U Thein Sein of Myanmar, President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam. Other leaders attending the Summit were Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia, Prime Minister Li Keqiang of China, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Park Geun-Hye of South Korea, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand, and President Barack Obama of the United States.