Indonesia’s 2014 raw mineral export ban, supported by Chinese investment, transformed it into the world’s top nickel producer and spurred local job growth. Now aiming to build a whole domestic EV industry, the country faces challenges such as low demand, labour unrest, and environmental concerns, casting doubt on its long-term success.
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Located on Batam Island, which is an hour by ferry to Singapore, Mayapada and its partner Apollo Hospitals—owned by Indian billionaire Prathap Reddy—is investing more than 1 trillion rupiah ($65 million) to build a 250-bed hospital in a special economic zone being promoted by the Indonesian government for tourism and healthcare.
Indonesia is seeking to attract Australian drugmakers with promises of cheaper clinical trials and faster approvals for new medicines as it pitches itself as an alternative to Donald Trump’s America where regulatory upheaval and a tariff war are putting off foreign firms.
I let the Indonesian tourists watch me, maybe jealous, as I float on my back in the otherworldly waters of Pulau Bair, a remote, uninhabited islet on the northernmost fringe of Kei Kecil, the smallest of the two main Kei Islands — an archipelago of about 250 islets, some of East Indonesia’s lesser-known gems.
People tend to make decisions based on habit, convenience or incentives, rather than purely rational cost-benefit analysis. In Indonesia’s case, instant rewards like e-wallet cashback or the speed of BI-FAST make digital options feel easier and smarter, even if users do not always consider long-term trade-offs.
Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) is working with Australian stakeholders to accelerate access to a new class of synthetic antibiotics aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance and supporting the country’s pharmaceutical self-sufficiency.
“All Indonesia” is currently being tested at key entry points, including Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali), Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Jakarta), Juanda International Airport (Surabaya), and several seaports: Batam Center, Batam Nongsapura, Bengkong, Citra Tritunas, Sekupang, and Teluk Senimba.
Australians are switching up where they’re travelling to, according to the latest annual report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Indonesia — particularly Bali — remained at the top, accounting for 14 per cent, or 1,741,370, of Australian trips.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and the world’s fourth most populous country, has an edge over its neighbours, the potential of its vast consumer market.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency and the Indonesian National Police, the number of motorised vehicles in Indonesia has continued to rise steadily, contributing significantly to urban air pollution.
Taking advantage of the dynamic Australian Dollar Bond market conditions and positive market prospects, the Republic seized the opportunity to launch the transaction on August 7, 2025.
Indonesia will begin importing lithium from Australia to support its growing electric vehicle (EV) industry, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced on Tuesday, as the country intensifies efforts to become a regional EV manufacturing hub.
The new trade arrangement reinstates access lost in 2018 and was previously estimated by industry at the time to be worth more than $100 million for Australian producers and exporters.
A top Indonesian official said South-east Asia’s largest economy is seeking zero per cent tariff from trade deals with the European Union, which has 27 member countries.
The deal eliminates ~99% of tariff barriers for a full range of U.S. industrial, food, and agricultural exports, unlocks new market access, and breaks down non-tariff barriers.
Indonesia has inaugurated a National AI Centre of Excellence in Jakarta in partnership with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, NVIDIA and Cisco. The centre is designed to fast-track the adoption of AI and build digital talent to support Indonesia’s ambitions for its 2045 digital vision.
