Indonesia to focus more on domestic market amid global crisis

JAKARTA, Dec 3 (Xinhua): Indonesian government is going to boost trade in the country's huge domestic market and people's purchasing power to cope with the weakening global economy, senior minister said Friday. The statement was made as the debt crisis in the United States and Europe is trimming demand of exports from the emerging economies including Indonesia. "We must be alert particularly of Europe's staggering economic situation which could weigh on Asia's economy and also impact Indonesia's exports," Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Rajasa said at the State Palace. The weakening of export of emerging Asian countries could slow the economic growth in the countries as it would trim Indonesia's exports, he said. Indonesia had boosted the proportion of its exports to the emerging countries and trimmed its exports volume to the United States and Europe. Indonesia non-oil and gas export to ASEAN countries in October decreased by US$195.5 million to $2.48 billion from that of in September, the Statistic Bureau announced on December 1. "Therefore, we must increase people's purchasing power to shore up domestic trade. We also need to increase efficiency and sweep away obstacles that can hamper the domestic trade," Hatta said.