Investment Minister Comments on TikTok and Tokopedia Merger Issue

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Investment Minister and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia claimed that he had not yet met with TikTok regarding the company's investment plans in PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk or Tokopedia.

As such, he could not yet confirm the circulating news that the Chinese super-app will re-launch its commerce service TikTok Shop in Indonesia after a merger with the local e-commerce.

“I haven't met [with TikTok] yet. I also don't know [about the merger with Tokopedia], I haven't met [Tokopedia] either,” Bahlil said when met in Jakarta, on Thursday, December 7.

The minister said he welcomed the video platform owned by China's ByteDance to communicate and cooperate with domestic investors or companies.

Earlier, Minister of Communication and Information (Kominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi said business-to-business (B2B) cooperation that does not violate existing regulations must be supported, let alone if it aims to boost the country's economy.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan or Zulhas made a similar statement. “[Tiktok] collaborating with the locals is possible,” he said after the book launch event in Jakarta, on Wednesday, December 6.

Zulhas, however, added that TikTok has not applied for a permit to run e-commerce thus far. He also stressed that the government does not prohibit the operation of foreign platforms but just regulates social commerce in Indonesia.

TikTok discontinued its commerce feature, TikTok Shop, on Oct. 4 due to the implementation of the Trade Minister's Regulation No. 31 of 2023, which prohibits social media from having a dual function as e-commerce and offers direct transaction services, known as social commerce.

ANTARA

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