Economy

Indonesia’s trade ties with Japan have shown tremendous growth in recent years, with Japan now its second-largest source of investment and second-largest trade partner, despite a decline in investment in 2014. Bilateral ties are expected to grow on the back of new opportunities in manufacturing, defence and energy, although a persistent trade imbalance between the two has led...

In 2014 Indonesia elected a new president, Joko Widodo – a development of significant interest to both national and regional stakeholders, as well as global investors and economists. A self-made businessman whose background and policies have resonated with Indonesians, Widodo ran on a platform that included cracking down on corruption, improving the quality of life outside the...

A key goal of Indonesia’s new president, Joko Widodo, is to boost GDP growth to 7% during his tenure, after it fell to a five-year low of 5.02% in 2014. He will face several challenges in this endeavour. Oil and gas revenues have declined on the back of a drop in prices, while falling global prices for other commodities have translated into weaker demand for Indonesian exports...

In a momentous development for the country, the newly elected president, Joko Widodo, followed through on campaign promises to do away with fuel subsidies in Indonesia. In addition to a 30% petrol price hike unveiled in November 2014, the new administration announced it would eliminate the majority of support beginning in 2015, ending a 48-year-old programme that cost the...

Following a few challenging years that saw Indonesia’s trade balance fall into the red for the first time in years, the country’s trade deficit is rapidly shrinking in the wake of a decline in global oil prices. Although it reached nearly $2bn in 2014, the deficit still stood at less than half its 2013 level, while modest surpluses in early 2015 indicate the nation is...