Denpasar, Bali - Four  non-ASEAN countries taking part in an ASEAN economic ministers meeting here are expected to step up their investment in the Southeast Asian region, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said here on Saturday.

"The four countries expected to increase their investment in ASEAN nations, including Indonesia, are the United States, New Zealand, Australia and India," Pangestu  said.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 14th ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat and Related Meetings in Nusa Dua, Bali, the  minister expressed hope investment cooperation between ASEAN and the four countries outside ASEAN would be further intensified.

Issues related to free trade and investment were being discussed in the biannual ministerial meeting this time.

The three-day meeting which opened on  Saturday was intended to expand trade and investment in ASEAN countries and  countries outside ASEAN.

Present at the meeting were 14 trade and economic ministers and  the United States Trade Representative, Susan Schwab.

The 14 trade and economic ministers were among others from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Pangestu said she was also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from a  number of  ASEAN member countries  and those  of the non-ASEAN countries.

With US Trade Representative  Susan Schwab she would discuss global economic trends and the situation caused by the skyrocketing prices of oil and food in world markets.

Technical issues had been discussed earlier in a Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) in  four working groups that dealt respectively with investment, agricultural commodity trade services, industrial goods, and intellectual property rights.

In relation with  intellectual property rights, the US Trade Representative (USTR) had reported that  Indonesia had remained on the US's watch list, like in 2007.

Pangestu said Indonesia had shown its seriousness in upholding intellelctual property rights by the concrete actions it had taken during the past few years to protect those rights at home..