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Indonesia
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Indonesia

Indonesia
Indonesia
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion from Indonesia.
Capital
Jakarta
Head of State
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Head of Government
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
A Chinese coastguard vessel sails through the North Natuna Sea in this photo released by Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency in 2024. Photo: Bakamla/EPA-EFE
South China Sea

Indonesia restarts South China Sea gas project Beijing opposed

A low profile restart of the US$3 billion Tuna field with a Russian partner looks set to test Jakarta’s sovereign resolve.

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Human trafficking

Video | Indonesian baby trafficking ring sentenced

Japan

Japan seeks Southeast Asia sea lanes to avoid troubled waters in region

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV makers went from small fry to big shots. Can others do the same?

The global green shift is providing a way for emerging economies to catch up with global powerhouses, with help from China’s supply chain.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
C-Suite Content Hub

From Crisis to Cross-Border Growth: Bangchak’s Energy Reinvention

Under Chaiwat Kovavisarach’s leadership, Bangchak Corporation has evolved from a struggling Thai refinery into a diversified energy leader. By prioritising operational efficiency, financial discipline, and a strategic shift toward renewables, Chaiwat has transformed the organisation into a sustainable, regional player poised for long-term success in an uncertain energy market.

By
SCMP C-Suite
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia further cuts budget of president’s free meals scheme

More cuts are possible to the original US$15 billion initiative, officials say.

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Artificial intelligence

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

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Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (left), who represented the country at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Thursday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: Xinhua
SCMP Highlights

Malaysia’s US$500m warship, Philippines’ Pax Silica AI hub: 7 Asia highlights

From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Human rights

In Indonesia’s island paradise, humans are still born into slavery

Though slavery has been illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years, it survives in Sumba’s rigid caste system.

Video | Indonesian migrant fishermen face exploitation at sea

An estimated 300,000 Indonesians work on foreign fishing vessels, making them one of the top contributors of labour for the global fishing industry.

Indonesian fishers abused by foreign vessels
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United States

Did fear of the US force Indonesia’s ‘slap in the face’ to Iran?

The perceived snub has raised questions about the core tensions at the heart of Jakarta’s ‘good-neighbour’ diplomacy.

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The grave of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen inside the Imam Reza shrine in the city of Mashhad, Iran, on July 10. Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Office/EPA
Hong Kong economy

Small firms in mainland China adopting AI more readily than large ones: experts

Market agility, steady power supplies and data exchanges also key to gaining edge and dominating AI sector, tech leaders at Bali forum say.

India

How India’s ‘practical’ alliances could reshape Indo-Pacific security

New Delhi’s ‘proactive new playbook’ aims to fill the vacuum left by fluctuating US commitments in the region, analysts say.

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Asean

Why investors are upbeat on the long-delayed Asean power grid

Investors and policymakers at the Nusa Dua Forum say that AI-driven demand is boosting optimism for cross-border power trade.

Workers install solar panels on the roof of a warehouse near Jurong Island in Singapore last year. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

For every dollar invested, we bring in more than 8, Hong Kong investment chief says

Hong Kong Investment Corporation head Clara Chan explains her strategies at Nusa Dua Forum organised by SCMP and Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara.

SCMP publisher Tam (left), HKIC chief Clara Chan and Blue Pool CEO Oliver Weisberg. Photo: Nora Tam
Danantara

Indonesia’s Danantara must ‘outlast’ presidencies to prove worth: top official

Addressing the Nusa Dua Forum, Pandu Sjahrir said the fund should build investor confidence through ‘quick wins’ and stock market reforms.

Danantara

Bali’s ‘big leap’: from holiday paradise to international financial centre

Indonesian and Hong Kong officials, as well as investors across the region, converge at the Nusa Dua Forum to discuss the island’s potential.

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US-China relations

US-China AI rivalry becomes a battle to export competing tech governance visions

Will the world choose Washington’s market-driven approach or Beijing’s open-source model that aims to be accessible and safe?

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President Xi Jinping joins attendees for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in China on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Fintech

China-UAE retail QR payment link to boost the yuan’s global push

Beijing linking its retail payment networks with Dubai is another step toward yuan internationalisation and reducing US dollar reliance.

Singapore

Singaporean arrested for allegedly strangling Indonesian girlfriend in Bali

The woman’s body was discovered by her brother, who visited her dwelling unit after being unable to contact the victim.

Human rights

Indonesian migrant fishers lured by big pay but caught in modern slavery

Abuse and mismanagement are ‘systemic’ across the Chinese distant-water fishing fleet operating off West Africa, an NGO says.

Crew members unload their catch at the Nusantara Fishing Port in Kejawan-Cirebon, West Java, on June 11. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s US$47 million investment in Indonesian start-up revealed as fraud

The finance ministry said pension fund KWAP lost the money to eFishery despite rigorous due diligence.

eFishery deploys feeders to fish and shrimp farmers in Indonesia. Photo: eFishery
Photography

The human faces of China’s belt and road strategy, through Liu Heung-shing’s lens

The Pulitzer-winning Hong Kong photojournalist trades megaproject metrics for intimate portraits of how China’s new Silk Road is rewiring everyday lives.

Food and Drinks

Meet the Chinese-Indonesian baker transforming Mumbai’s bread scene

Shannen Alexandra talks about overcoming injury to bake for Mumbai-based Mag St. Bread Co. and how her breads and pastries honour her past.

South China Sea

Opinion | Path to South China Sea stability doesn’t run through US, UK or the EU

The statement by 14 countries is a geopolitical exercise, amplifying the flawed 2016 Hague arbitral ruling to try to drive a wedge between China and its neighbours.

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The China Coast Guard vessel Dong’an patrolling in the South China Sea on June 22. Photo: Xinhua
South Korea

Sunk deals: why South Korea’s submarine exports are running aground

After losing bids in Canada and Poland, analysts say Korean shipyards are learning how strategic alignment can trump commercial merit.

South Korean submarines take part in a naval fleet review off the southern port city of Busan last year. Photo: AFP
Corruption in Asia

Video | Indonesia’s top corruption prosecutor suspected of graft

Authorities found 74kg (160lbs) of gold and more than US$15 million in the home of Febrie Adriansyah, who until last week led the country’s Special Crimes Divisions.

Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s free meals scheme cut leaves kitchen operators in limbo

Each operator spent at least US$83,000 to build one kitchen, ⁠and had to take bank loans or sell assets to fund it.

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