Jokowi Offers Mining, Digital Economy Potentials to US CEOs

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi met with leaders of U.S. top companies in Washington D.C on Thursday. The meeting was part of the US-ASEAN Summit's series of events.

During the meeting, the president offered a number of potential collaborations with Indonesia, particularly in the fields of industrial raw materials, green energy supply, and the digital economy.

"As one of the largest nickel ore producing countries in the world, Indonesia is growing rapidly in the iron and steel industry. Currently, Indonesia is the second-largest stainless steel producer in the world," he said in his statement, Friday, May 12.

Jokowi said that Indonesia also has an abundance of copper and bauxite for aluminum, which will form the backbone of the new and renewable energy industry. The president also promoted Indonesia's green energy potential, such as hydro, solar, and geothermal power plants.

"We ensure that the production of important goods will be produced from environmentally friendly power plants. We invite American businesses to invest in Indonesia," he said.

Not just mining and energy potentials, Jokowi also promotes Indonesia's seriousness in developing the digital economy. Jokowi said Indonesia currently ranks fifth among countries with the most startups, totaling 2,346 companies.

"I really hope for the contribution of American businesses in developing digital infrastructure, facilitating digital capacity-building, and supporting us in entering the global value chain through digitalization," said Jokowi.

The joint meeting was also attended by US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, US-ASEAN Business Council Ted Osius, Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry. The CEOs who attended the event included those of Google, Chevron, Boeing, Qualcomm, ConocoPhillips, and Marriot International.

During the meeting, Jokowi also said that as the G20 Presidency, Indonesia seeks to ensure that the G20 could work as a catalyst for global economic recovery, especially for the progress of developing countries.

"I hope that the CEOs of big American companies can build concrete cooperation in the G20, and work together with ASEAN [members], especially with Indonesia," the president said.

Read: President Jokowi, Air Products & Chemicals Follow Up Major Investment Deal

M Julnis Firmansyah