Roundtable with Emil Dardak

On Friday 17 June 2022, the Perth USAsia Centre was privileged to host Emil Dardak, Vice Governor of East Java for a private roundtable.

Western Australia and East Java have built over thirty years of sister-state relations spanning across various sectors. Given Java’s economic significance, there are opportunities for East Java and Western Australia to leverage the sister-state relationship to strengthen trade and investment ties.

As close neighbours with strong economic complementarities, East Java and Western Australia are presented with significant opportunity to build a more comprehensive relationship. Vice Governor Dardak joined an audience of leaders from business, government and academia discuss what can be done to realise the full potential of this relationship, particularly in infrastructure, governance and development.

In recent years, East Java has grown in economic significance to become the second largest contributor to Indonesia’s economy. It is home to over 40 million people, with a high rate of industrialisation, producing more than 25 per cent of Indonesia’s manufacturing output. East Java’s economy is growing year on year at a rate of 5.2 percent, higher than Indonesia’s national average of 5.1 percent.

Also in attendance at this event was David Santoso, CEO of Singhasri Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in East Java, Indonesia’s first SEZ designed for tourism and technology. The SEZ is situated in a key strategic area for business investment, in the heart of East Java. Since its inception by presidential decree in 2019, the SEZ has functioned as a thriving digital ecosystem for Indonesia, home to Singhasari Animation and Film Factory, the Social Economic Accelerator Lab and a commerce park.

Western Australia Deputy Premier Roger Cook recently returned from a visit to East Java, where he and Vice Governor Dardak discussed enhancing the sister state relationship in the areas of travel, investment, skilled workers, jobs and tourism. The current momentum between the two governments and refreshed commitment to the sister-state relationship, paired with East Java’s fast economic growth mean that now’s the time for WA businesses to consider investment opportunities in the province.