VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pahala Nugraha encouraged the strengthening of cooperation between Indonesia and Australia in the downstream and industrial supply chain sectors, joint production of electric vehicle batteries, climate change and food security.

"Both countries have the potential to cooperate in the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries by utilizing Indonesia's nickel reserves and Australia's lithium," said Deputy Minister Pahala when meeting Australian Minister of Industry and Science Ed Husic on Tuesday (25/7) in Jakarta, as quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official statement.

The Deputy Minister encouraged the implementation of the cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the Western Australian Government signed during the Annual Leaders Meeting in Sydney on July 4, 2023. The agreement is intended to build a high value-added critical mineral and electric vehicle battery industry.

The Deputy Minister also said that the cooperation is in line with the priority of industrial downstreaming to make Indonesia an important part of the global supply chain. Several Indonesian SOEs have also made investments in Australia, including the cooperation between Mind ID and BCI Minerals which was also signed during President Joko Widodo's visit for the Annual Leaders' Meeting in early July.

"I hope that Indonesia can also become a hub that connects Australia with other countries, so that Indonesia can be part of the future industrial supply chain," the Deputy Minister explained.

The meeting also discussed the implementation of climate and food security cooperation projects between the two countries. In the field of climate change, the Deputy Foreign Minister encouraged the realization of carbon capture and storage cooperation in Arun, Aceh, as well as the production and distribution of blue hydrogen.

He also encouraged cooperation in the field of food security, including livestock and sugar. One of the collaborations that can be developed is research on bioethanol development.

Meanwhile, Australia's Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, said that Australia and Indonesia have the same ambition, which is to reduce emissions, increase employment, and become a powerhouse in battery manufacturing. According to him, Australia is also exploring other more efficient battery technologies, not only for electric vehicles but also for long-term commercial industries.

The meeting with Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, was the first meeting at the Ministerial level conducted by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs since taking office. In line with the focus of the tasks assigned to the Deputy Foreign Minister, the meeting discussed a lot about increasing strategic economic cooperation between the two countries. (VOI/Andy)