WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo told President Barack Obama at a White House meeting Monday that Indonesia will join the multi-country Pacific Rim trade pact.
The pledge to add the island nation to the trade agreement was one of the items on the agenda in Widodo's -- also known as "Jokowi" -- first visit to the United States. It was also Widodo's first public confirmation of interest in joining the pact.
"Indonesia is an open economy," Widodo said in the Oval Office, "and with the 250 million population we are the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Indonesia intends to join the [Trans-Pacific Partnership]."
The proposed agreement involves multiple Pacific Rim countries in Asia as well as North and South America. Australia, Japan, Canada, Chile and the U.S. are all expected to join. The agreement is currently pending congressional approval.
Obama and Widodo also vowed to work together on climate change, an issue that Widodo knows quite well as fires continue to burn in Indonesia, creating a haze that has choked its economy, strained relations with its neighbors and could lead to big evacuations.
Widodo had to cut his trip to the United States short so that he could return home to deal with the issue.
"Whether it's helping Indonesia deal with the current difficulties surrounding peat fires, or it is encouraging ongoing student exchanges between our two countries," Obama said, "this meeting I think signifies our taking this partnership to the next level."
