Jakarta, May 16 -- Indonesian Trade Minister Budi Santoso voiced support for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to placate trade tensions and discourage countries from taking unilateral maneuvers detrimental to the multilateral trade system.

He conveyed Indonesia's concerns about the resurgence of protectionist practices during a bilateral meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the sidelines of an APEC session in Jeju, South Korea, on Thursday (May 15).

"At the meeting, I reaffirmed Indonesia's support for the WTO as a rule-based multilateral trade regime to maintain its credibility and strengthen its role in resolving trade issues, easing trade tensions, and averting acts that could harm the multilateral trade system,...