Economy

Workers at a clothing factory in Bandung: Japan is subsidizing companies that invest in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
International relations

Japan looks to cement Indonesia as key regional partner in 2-plus-2

Tokyo and ASEAN powerhouse agree to diversify China-heavy supply chains

31 March 2021
Beijing's central business district: A survey found 55.6% of mainland China employers intend to increase their head counts in 2021.
Economy

China employers bullish on hiring and pay as Hong Kong feels chill

Politics and COVID loom over city, research shows, as other Asian markets rev up

15 March 2021
A scientist looks at a sample at a university in Indonesia: there has been a movement to change the way research is being evaluated.
Opinion

Indonesia should stop pushing its academics to chase empty indicators

Predatory journals that print articles for a fee undermine scientific research

12 March 2021
Commuters walk on a railway platform Mumbai, India. The OECD projects that the country will record the fastest growth in the world this year.
Economy

Global GDP to surpass pre-pandemic level by mid-2021, OECD says

Vaccine hopes prompt upward revision of projection to 5.6% growth this year

9 March 2021
A heavy truck drives through a nickel mining area in Soroako, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in this March 2019 photo.
Economy

Indonesia to offer investment incentives for 'priority' sectors

Presidential decree provides benefits for industries from nickel to chips

25 February 2021
Luxury shopping in Jakarta: Indonesia is projected to see a 67% annual increase in the ranks of its superwealthy through 2025.
Economy

Indonesia to outpace China in rise of crazy rich as COVID abates

Report says vaccine-fueled economic recovery will deepen pockets of superwealthy

24 February 2021
A group of scavengers search for items and plastics to sell for recycling at Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia, in this March 2019 photo.
Environment

Jakarta's poor fear landslides from overflowing waste mountains

City authorities running out of options for disposing massive volumes of trash

19 February 2021
Bank Indonesia cut its key rate for the first time in three months on Thursday, as the country pins hopes on looser monetary policy and its mass vaccine rollout to bolster its flagging economy. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Economy

Indonesia cuts rates and growth outlook as COVID stings economy

Government also pinning hopes on vaccine rollout to return to growth

18 February 2021
Ridha Wirakusumah, left, was picked by Indonesian President Joko Widodo to head the country's planned sovereign wealth fund. (Source photos by Getty Images(File photo) and Reuters) 
Economy

Jokowi picks banker Wirakusumah to head Indonesia's sovereign fund

Bank Permata president director tapped for his overseas investor network

16 February 2021
A nickel smelter in Indonesia: The mineral-rich Southeast Asian nation is attracting Chinese investment.
Economy

Indonesia's investment race shaken up by China as Japan fades

South Korea also gains, with EV batteries seen as next FDI magnet

16 February 2021
A man walks in a quiet Jakarta business district on June 8, 2020.
Economy

Indonesia economy shrinks in 2020 for first time in two decades

GDP plunged 2.07% last year as COVID-19 crippled business activity

5 February 2021
Indonesian President Joko Widodo told the advisory group for the country's planned sovereign wealth fund to select members of its board of directors by the end of next week. 
Economy

Indonesia moves closer to establishing $5bn sovereign wealth fund

Jokowi names advisers for fund that will initially focus on infrastructure

27 January 2021
Indonesia looks to vaccinate 180 million citizens in the next year, a level that could let the country achieve herd immunity.
Coronavirus

Indonesia tops 1m COVID infections in never-ending first wave

Health experts accuse government of half measures, as leaders fear economic risk

27 January 2021
 A group of tourists watch the sunset at the Tanah Lot temple in Bali on New Year's Eve.
Economy

Indonesia's young workers seek lives outside congested Jakarta

Pandemic hastens trend of remote working and the 'low-touch economy'

22 January 2021
A hydrogen fueling station in Tokyo: it will need more international collaboration to develop a hydrogen energy ecosystem.
Opinion

Why Indonesia and Japan must collaborate on hydrogen

Working together would help both countries meet renewable energy targets

12 January 2021
Indonesian armed police protecting a truck containing the Sinovac vaccine that has been greenlighted for emergency use from Wednesday.
Coronavirus

Indonesia COVID vaccination to start Wednesday using Sinovac drug

Country is first, outside China, to greenlight those vaccines for emergency use

11 January 2021
Gede Darma Putra, a 43-years-old dive master who lost his job in Bali. Indonesia will prioritize its working-age population when it begins its vaccination program on Jan. 13.
Coronavirus

Indonesia to tighten COVID restrictions in Bali and Jakarta

Coronavirus's fast spread forces workers home and restaurants to limit diners

6 January 2021
A bedding factory in Hanoi: Vietnam has succeeded in curbing both the health and economic impact of COVID-19.
Economy

Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia seen fully recovering in 2021

IMF unveils mixed economic forecasts for Southeast Asia

29 December 2020
Biden, Olympic logo, Suga, and Wuhan (Source photos by Reuters, Ken Kobayashi, Karina Nooka)
Your Week in Asia

Japan's elections, 100th anniversary of CCP: Asia's 2021 calendar

One year after Wuhan lockdown, will there be a Tokyo Olympics?

27 December 2020
President Jokowi is eyeing a brighter future for his 267 million people.
Opinion

Indonesia's Jokowi must learn the lessons of Malaysia's 1MDB scandal

New sovereign wealth fund needs thick firewalls to keep political meddlers out

17 December 2020
Indonesian President Joko Widodo address the nation on Wednesday. (Screenshot from Sekretariat Presiden's YouTube Page) 
Coronavirus

Jokowi pledges free COVID vaccinations for all Indonesians

Government aims to start mass program later this month or early next year

16 December 2020
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said after reelection in October that the country has "a huge potential to escape the middle-income trap." The COVID-19 pandemic is making that goal a herculean task. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
Asia Insight

Pandemic stalls Indonesia's push to escape middle-income trap

Two decades of growth reversed in Southeast Asia's biggest economy

15 December 2020
The Asian Development Bank has launched a $9-billion coronavirus vaccine fund for member economies in a bid to rejuvenate growth devastated by the pandemic. (Souce photos by AP/AFP/Jiji) 
Coronavirus

ADB sets up $9bn coronavirus vaccine fund

Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility extends lifeline to COVID-hit economies

11 December 2020
A faster-than-expected recovery from the pandemic in China has helped to pull up the economic projection for the whole Asian region. 
Economy

ADB forecasts rapid growth for China and India in 2021

Expansions in the two large economies improve outlook for developing Asia

10 December 2020
CATL's nickel-cobalt-manganese battery cell for use in electric cars: Indonesia's consortium members are in discussions with top global EV battery makers.
Opinion

Indonesia is ready to take on the world's EV battery makers

New Omnibus Law will make it easier to attract foreign investment

7 December 2020