As part of Britain’s efforts to improve connections with Southeast Asia after leaving the European Union, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met with Indonesian authorities recently to discuss greater cooperation in future technologies, cybersecurity, and economic linkages. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi spoke about a path for deeper cooperation.
“We need to make sure that technology standards are shaped by the free world. And we want to work together with Indonesia in areas like cyber and the next generation of technologies, whether that’s 5G, 6G or indeed areas like artificial intelligence and quantum,” she said at a news conference. 5G and 6G are technology standards for new cellular phone networks.
Both countries will also establish a new joint working group on counterterrorism and a cyber dialogue, according to the statement. According to the presidential palace, the British foreign secretary met with President Joko Widodo and discussed deeper cooperation in vaccinations and biotechnology.
Truss is wrapping up a week-long trip to Southeast Asia to strengthen commercial and security ties. Her final stop is Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populated country. “Deeper ties are a win-win, delivering jobs and opportunities for British people while ensuring an open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” she said before her trip. “Working with key Southeast Asia partners will help us promote freedom and democracy across the world.”
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Marsudi claimed bilateral trade and investment from the United Kingdom have increased. Furthermore, in 2018, Indonesia and the United Kingdom decided to increase their cybersecurity cooperation, even though no country, especially in the industrialised world, is vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to Djoko Setiadi, head of Indonesia’s National Cyber and Encryption Agency, the partnership included intelligence information and expertise sharing, as well as human resource training
“We never know what kind of cyberattacks we might face in the future. Hence, we need to work together with other countries, particularly the developed ones, so that we can adopt the best technology to prevent and mitigate such attacks,” Djoko said after co-signing the agreement with the UK Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific.
According to the UK’s minister for Asia and the Pacific, this cooperation is crucial to the two countries developing a solid cybersecurity framework, which will open the door for increased commercial and technological cooperation, particularly in fintech.
OpenGov Asia reported, Indonesian and UK cooperation in the technology, digital, and start-up sectors has grown rapidly since the launch of the Indonesia-UK Tech Hub. The Tech Hub collaborates with many agencies like governments, professional associations, education institutions, digital communities, investors and is looking to involve a wider range of groups and communities. The platform also supports the growth of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem and develops initiatives to support women and marginalized groups in increasing their digital literacy so that they can participate in this growing sector, said the Ambassador of the UK.
For Indonesia, effective cybersecurity strategies and tactics are needed, and they already form an integral part of the country’s digital transformation planning. In this context, the Indonesian government created the National Cyber Security Agency (BCN) to address these problems. The agency continuously looks to strengthen its defences against cyber threats and attackers. It will also work to increase public awareness about the cybersecurity landscape.
To better take advantage of the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the community must be able to understand the dynamics that will arise and prepare themselves for the changes that will occur in the future. Both individuals and organisations have been urged to stress cybersecurity awareness and embed it into their DNA.
