US-ABC Delegation Meets with President Jokowi, Reaffirming Support for U.S.-Indonesia Relations, ASEAN Chairmanship and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
(Jakarta, Indonesia) – On May 22-25, US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) led a delegation of 31 U.S. companies to meet President Joko Widodo and key Indonesian officials in Jakarta. Indonesia Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Rosan Roeslani co-led this year’s Indonesia Business Mission as the honorary chair and U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Sung Kim received the delegation in Jakarta, symbolizing strong bilateral ties. US-ABC delegation applauded the President for a decade of remarkable leadership and the recent successful G20 presidency that will be part of his legacy. The delegation reaffirms its commitment to supporting Indonesia and the country’s ASEAN Chairmanship. The President expressed his appreciation for the longstanding support shown by the US-ABC member companies.
In the meeting with President Joko Widodo, who was accompanied by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Minister of State Secretary Pratikno in Bogor Palace on May 25, US-ABC’s President & CEO, Amb. Ted Osius (ret.) highlighted various members’ initiatives that contribute to the common goal of ASEAN, APEC and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) to strengthen economic and supply chain resilience. Amb. Osius stated, “we recognize the value of Indonesia signing on to the Supply Chain Pillar (Pillar II). We believe IPEF could set a pathway into critical mineral cooperation.” President Jokowi noted that the Council is urging the US government to support EV investment in Indonesia – something that is consistent with the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and will help bolster both countries’ positions in the global EV supply chain.
Representing the U.S. member companies of US ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) in Indonesia, the US-ABC’s Indonesia Committee Chair and CEO of Citi Indonesia, Batara Sianturi, stated “Indonesia is an important trade and investment partner for the United States. U.S. companies are actively bringing FDI, innovation and partnerships into Indonesia through our investments in various sectors including infrastructure, commodities, energy, digital, technology, tourism, the creative economy as well as EV supply chain ecosystem.” Mr. Sianturi added, “we are committed to supporting Indonesia's 2030 Energy Transition Mechanism and 2060 Net Zero Emissions plans.” In anticipation of the 2023 APEC Summit in November, U.S. private sector also extended support to Indonesia’s participation in the November Summit in San Francisco.
During this mission, the Council also signed an MoU with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) to support Indonesia’s investment and SME development. Furthermore, US-ABC delegation had discussions on U.S.-Indonesia investment with key government officials, including Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Investment Minister and Finance Minister and Energy Minister. Tourism & Creative Economy Minister, State-Owned Enterprise Minister, SME Minister and Transportation Minister and the Secretary General of Agriculture Ministry were also among the cabinet members who met with the delegation. Additionally, members had dialogues on various collaborations with Financial Service Authority (OJK) Chairman and the New Capital City (IKN) Chairman.
Other than Citi Indonesia, the Council’s Indonesia Committee Vice Chairs were in attendance, including Cisco, ExxonMobil, Freeport-McMoRan, Johnson & Johnson, PT. HM Sampoerna. Other delegation members include 3M, Airbnb, Boeing, BowerGroupAsia, bp, Corteva, Diageo, FedEx, IBM, Jhpiego, LinkedIn, Marriott International, MSD, Netflix, Oracle, Qualcomm, S&P, Salesforce, SC Johnson, Stripe, UL, Visa, Vriens & Partners, and Zuellig Pharma.