December 18, 2024
JAKARTA – A United States envoy has said that the US government and businesses will support Indonesia in human resource development (HRD), a central focus of President Prabowo Subianto and his administration to achieve the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
US Ambassador to Indonesia Kamala S. Lakhdhir said the two countries planned to continue collaborating in economic growth and capacity building, as they had in the past.
“I believe that American companies investing in Indonesia, or planning to do so, will prioritize high-quality jobs, human capacity development and the growth of new, innovative industries both in Indonesia and globally,” Lakhdhir said on Saturday in Jakarta, on the sidelines of an anniversary event celebrating 75 years of US-Indonesia diplomatic relations.
Among the key sectors in US-Indonesia relations are telecommunications, health care, advanced data centers, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.
Lakhdhir, who has served in her current role for five months, said many US companies had expressed interest in investing and expanding trade in Indonesia, and looked to a stronger business environment, better ease of doing business and more opportunities under the Prabowo administration.
Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani, who attended Saturday’s anniversary celebrations, said US-Indonesia relations had strengthened through a comprehensive strategic partnership signed in November 2023 during the Washington visit of then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“The US has been a vital partner for Indonesia, not only in trade and investment but also education,” he said, referring to a plan of Washington-based Georgetown University to open an international relations master program next month in Jakarta.
The US was among the countries President Prabowo visited during his inaugural, two-week overseas tour last month, along with China and Brazil, where he attended the 2024 Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the United Kingdom.
During his visit to Washington, Prabowo met with President Joe Biden to discuss strategic initiatives for a stronger and lasting partnership, including a focus on enhancing Indonesia’s human resource capacity in the semiconductor industry and collaborations with US universities.
The two leaders issued a joint statement after their meeting that highlighted their “unwavering support” for freedom of navigation and “respect for sovereign rights and jurisdiction” in the South China Sea.
This followed a joint statement by Indonesia and China that said the two countries had reached a consensus on jointly developing areas of “overlapping claims”, which was widely viewed as a diplomatic gaffe.
The impending inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20 has raised concerns among governments, economists and international forums over the prospect of the US becoming more protectionist and transactional in its policies.