VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are considering critical mineral collaboration for maintaining the region's energy security, a top official of Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry has said.

Critical minerals will play a very vital and strategic role for all countries in supporting the energy transition from fossil to renewable energy, Director of Mineral and Coal Program Development at the ministry Tri Winarno said.

"Critical minerals are raw materials for the solar panel, wind turbines, and electric vehicle battery manufacturing industries," he noted at an ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) side event entitled "Critical Minerals: Opportunities And Challenges For ASEAN" in Nusa Dua Bali on Friday.

He said critical minerals are also used in new and renewable energy plants.

According to Winarno, critical minerals have a very high value because they are difficult to find, are extracted in economical quantities, and cannot be easily replaced with metals or other materials.

Given their importance and high value, the need for critical minerals will increase significantly, which will pose a challenge to ensuring critical mineral supplies at the global level, he said.

"Another challenge is how we can further explore existing critical mineral resources with the geological setting in the ASEAN region," he said.

Yet another challenge is mineral downstreaming, wherein ASEAN countries must master mineral refining technology to support material downstreaming, he added.

Therefore, collaboration is needed to answer these challenges, considering that several ASEAN countries have several types of mineral deposits.

He said that ASEAN needs to share best practices and policies, identify key areas, and maximize natural resources and reserves.

"Also, discussing opportunities for greater regional cooperation, with the aim of unlocking the potential critical minerals in the region," he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the operation of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) for the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi (Jabodebek) areas at Cawang Station here on Monday.

In his remarks, the head of state is upbeat that the presence of the LRT would help to reduce congestion and air pollution.

"We hope that people will flock to the LRT, both those from Cibubur and its surroundings and those from Bekasi and its surroundings, so that we can avoid traffic jams and reduce pollution," the president stated.

President Jokowi pointed out that Jakarta was always included among the 10 most congested cities in the world.

According to the reports he received, 996 thousand vehicles enter Jakarta every day, thereby causing congestion and pollution.

"Therefore, we are building the MRT, LRT, Transjakarta, BRT, and the airport train, so that all of us will switch from private transportation to mass transportation," he stated.

The president acknowledged that it was not easy to switch to mass transportation. He cited the example of MRT trains that appeared full every day, though in reality, their maximum capacity had yet to be reached.

"The MRT is an example. Even though I see it is full every day, today's capacity is only 80 thousand passengers, still less than the target of 180 thousand passengers. There is still unfilled capacity," the president remarked.

The head of state noted that the LRT has a track length of 41.2 km, while a budget of Rp32.6 trillion was spent on its construction.

"By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this morning, I inaugurated the integrated light rail transit for the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi areas," the president stated.

The inauguration was marked by the tapping of an electronic card and the signing of an inscription by President Jokowi. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Deputy Minister of Communication and Informatics Nezar Patria encouraged the younger generation to contribute to maintaining and navigating Indonesia's resilience by optimally utilizing technology amid the digitalization era.

"We have seen the younger generation that strives for environmental sustainability, social justice, and utilizes technology for positive changes. I encourage you (youngsters) to develop and build skills to encourage sustainable change and inclusive growth in Indonesia," he said, as noted in a press release received here on Saturday.

The deputy minister highlighted that the role of youngsters is needed to tackle various contemporary global issues and challenges that need collective concern and action.

One of them is related to technological disruption that is very rapid and has spread across countries as well as requires an integrated response.

To support the younger generation to become excellent human resources in the digitalization era, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics has carried out comprehensive evaluations and accelerating the achievement of equal distribution of digital infrastructure across Indonesia.

In addition, the ministry also readied digital talent development programs that equip digital literacy skills from the basic level to the leader level as part of preparing Indonesia's superior human resources for the future.

"To preserve our digital space and support the well-being of Indonesian people who are mostly connected to the internet, we launched initiatives," he remarked.

Those initiatives, according to Patria, focus on digital literacy and skills development for the general public, students, professionals, players of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and policymakers.

He added that in Indonesia's road map, the main pillars are sustainable energy transition, digitalization innovation, and health and social reconstruction.

Patria expressed the hope that youngsters as digital talents and the nation's successors in the future can actively share ideas, build networks, and collaborate so that those main pillars can be achieved and bolster Indonesia's resilience. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan hopes that Japan will immediately eliminate four tariff posts on Indonesian canned tuna export as part of the protocol to amend the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA).

He noted that Japan had eliminated some tariff posts for canned tuna from the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Therefore, he hoped Japan would do the same to Indonesia's canned tuna.

"The tariffs elimination for canned tuna is an absolute requirement to complete negotiations on the IJEPA Amendment Protocol," Hasan conveyed in a statement on Saturday.

He said that the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN-Japan relationship should be utilized by maximizing relations between Japan and each ASEAN member country, including Indonesia.

Therefore, this momentum is a good opportunity for Indonesia and Japan to quickly conclude these negotiations, he added.

The minister is optimistic that the two countries can announce the completion of the substance of the IJEPA Amendment Protocol negotiations on the sidelines of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September.

"I am also optimistic that Indonesia and Japan can sign the intended protocol at the ASEAN-Japan 50th Anniversary Summit in December 2023 in Tokyo, Japan," he continued.

Indonesia's total trade with Japan continues to increase every year. In the January-May 2023 period, the total trade between the two countries was recorded at around US$16.3 billion.

Indonesia's exports to Japan amounted to US$9.4 billion while Indonesia's imports from Japan totaled at US$6.8 billion, with a surplus of around US$2.5 billion for Indonesia.

In 2022, Indonesia's total trade with Japan reached US$42.0 billion, an increase of 29.2 percent compared to 2021. While Indonesia's exports to Japan were recorded at US$24.8 billion and were the highest in the last five years (2018-2022).

On the other hand, Indonesia's imports from Japan amounted to US$17.1 billion and Indonesia recorded a surplus of US$7.6 billion.

In the last five years (2018-2022), the trend of total trade between the two countries has grown by 2.61 percent. Indonesia also continues to enjoy a trade surplus from Japan in the five-year period, Hasan informed.

Indonesia's main export commodities to Japan include integrated electronic circuits, petroleum gas and other hydrocarbon gas, insulated wire, cables and electrical conductors, telephone sets and smartphones, and motor vehicle parts and accessories.

While Indonesia's main import commodities from Japan include integrated electronic circuits, motor vehicle parts and accessories, flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, semiconductor equipment, and electrical equipment. (Antaranews)