Country: Indonesia
The Strait Test: How the Hormuz Crisis Reframed China’s Energy Offer for SE Asia
The Two Sessions, China’s most important annual political gathering, where leaders unveil economic targets and policy priorities, closed in Beijing earlier this month just as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was intensifying. The timing was not coincidental. The 15th Five-Year ...
A China-Backed Dam in Indonesia Tests the Limits of Compliance
A Chinese-backed hydropower project in Indonesia is emerging as an example of a growing challenge in Beijing’s overseas investments. Compliance with host-country regulations may no longer be enough to shield projects from disruption, scrutiny, or reputational risk. The Batang Toru hydropower ...
Beneath Indonesia’s Big EV Dreams Loom Local Costs
By Joan Aurelia In July 2024, then-president Joko Widodo said Indonesia must “become a global player in the EV supply chain.” He was speaking at the inauguration of a Hyundai EV and battery factory in Karawang, West Java, where government officials declared ...
How the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Exposed Southeast Asia’s Fragile LNG Strategy
Conflict in the Middle East has only intensified over the past two years. The recent disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical energy chokepoint, has sent shockwaves across Southeast Asia, a region heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports. ...
Who Controls the Battery Age? Congo, China, and the New Resource Order
The U.S., Japan, and other G7 countries are scrambling to secure critical minerals to end their reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains. Every week, there's news of another mining deal for cobalt, lithium, and other resources essential to powering 21st century technology. ...
Indonesia Seeks to Diversify Partners for Its New Rare Earth Industry but Moving Away From China Will Be Difficult
Indonesia sits on a geological treasure trove of rare earth minerals, and the government is eager to tap into the wealth they could bring. While it knows how to find, mine, and sell the highly sought-after critical materials, it confronts a ...
The Three Faces of Chinese Investment in Southeast Asia: SOEs, POEs, and MNEs
In 2025, China remained a top-three source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Southeast Asia, following only the U.S. and intra-Southeast Asian flows. While much of the investment falls under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it is important to distinguish between broad ...
Nickel Gains After Indonesia Cuts Quota for World’s Biggest Nickel Mine
Nickel climbed on Thursday, after Indonesia sharply cut this year's mining quota for PT Weda Bay Nickel, the world's biggest mine for the critical mineral. The most-active nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange SNIcv1 climbed 2.49% to 140,570 yuan ($20,366.86) a metric ton as of 0250 GMT. The Shanghai contract surged ...
China’s Push for Low-Carbon Metals Is Forcing a Reckoning in Indonesia’s Nickel Boom
By Muyi Yang and Dody Setiawan At the G20 Summit in late 2025, China unveiled the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Mining and Minerals. While broader geopolitical headlines overshadowed this news, it carries crucial implications.
China’s Nanshan Group Plans 100,000-Bpd Refinery in Indonesia
By Chen Aizhu and Fransiska Nangoy China's Shandong Nanshan Group plans to build an oil refinery on Indonesia's Bintan island, where the privately controlled firm operates a large alumina plant, according to three Chinese sources and an Indonesian official.