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It Worked For Nickel, So Why Not Tin? Indonesia Wants to Move Up the Value Chain by Blocking Exports of Raw Commodities

by Eric Olander
Aerial view of the Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry nickel smelting facility in Konawe. Indonesia banned the export of raw nickel and now wants to do the same for tin. ANDRY DENISAH / AFP

The Indonesian government plans to add tin bars to the growing list of commodities that it will ban for export as part of an ambitious effort to have more of these resources processed domestically.

A similar ban that was imposed in 2020 for nickel has attracted billions of dollars of foreign investment, particularly from China, to set up refining facilities. Indonesia is now on track to overtake China in nickel processing before 2025.

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