The Case for a More Ambitious U.S.-Indonesia Partnership

The Limits of the Expanding Indonesia-US Partnership

In a global system characterized by geopolitical turbulence, Indonesia stands as a rising economy and key player in international affairs. Over the past two decades, Indonesia has experienced strong economic growth. By 2030, the thriving republic is projected to become one of the world’s seven largest economies and to enter the top five by 2050.  … Read more

Will US-China Rivalry Spur the Transformation of Indonesia’s Critical Minerals Sector?

Will US-China Rivalry Spur the Transformation of Indonesia’s Critical Minerals Sector?

November 14 was a pivotal moment in the annals of Indo-Pacific geopolitics, as leaders from 14 nations came together to endorse the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)’s Supply Chain Agreement. This U.S. initiative is the bedrock of an ambitious initiative that seeks to transcend the traditional boundaries of trade and supply chain resilience to embrace clean … Read more

Bleak Prospects for an Indonesia-US FTA on Critical Minerals

Bleak Prospects for an Indonesia-US FTA on Critical Minerals

In April 2023, the United States government introduced guidance for the $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of each electric vehicle (EV) under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 2022. To be eligible for half of the credit, a portion of the “critical minerals” used in the EV’s battery must come from a country with which … Read more

Indonesia Fast-Tracks Its Electric Vehicle Ambitions

Indonesia Fast-Tracks Its Electric Vehicle Ambitions

Advertisement Leaping up from his chair, Rachmat Kaimuddin begins to sketch out on a whiteboard the various stages of the complex supply chain for electric vehicles (EVs). From his office in the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Indonesia’s point man for its EV industrial policy lays out a vision of nickel ore flowing … Read more

For Southeast Asia, US Industrial Policy Might be a Risky Bet

For Southeast Asia, US Industrial Policy Might be a Risky Bet

Advertisement When work on a $4 billion manufacturing plant for Vietnamese automaker VinFast began in North Carolina in July 2023, Ted Osius, the head of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, expressed a hope shared by many companies and governments in the Southeast Asian electric vehicle (EV) space: that they would be eligible for tax credits under … Read more