VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Industry Ministry has continued to support electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem development with the target of putting 9 million two- and three-wheeled EVs and 600 thousand electric cars and buses on Indonesian roads by 2030.

The target is expected to contribute to reducing fuel oil (BBM) consumption by 21.65 million barrels, or the equivalent of reducing CO2 emissions by 7.9 million tons in total.

"The electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia is rapidly growing, with a capacity exceeding the market development. This has also been driven by various strategic policies from the government, including providing business certainty, a road map, and optimizing the domestic component level (TKDN)," the ministry's acting secretary general, Putu Juli Ardika, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Currently, there are five companies producing electric buses in Indonesia with a total production capacity of 2,480 units per year and a total investment of 0.36 trillion, he informed.

In addition, there are three companies producing electric cars with a total production capacity of 34 thousand units per year and a total investment of Rp2.403 trillion, Ardika said.

Furthermore, 48 companies are producing electric motorbikes with a production capacity of 1.427 million units per year and a total investment of Rp0.818 trillion, he added.

To support efforts to accelerate the development of the EV ecosystem, Indonesia has two battery factories, namely PT HLI Green Power and PT International Chemical Industry (ABC), he noted.

PT HLI Green Power is a collaboration between Hyundai Group and LG to produce battery cells, with a first-phase capacity of 10 GWh and an investment value of US$1.1 billion.

"The electric car battery factory is planned to be completed in 2023 and will start to supply the needs of electric car factories by 2024," Ardika said.

According to him, the battery cell industry will supply the needs of around 150 thousand and 170 thousand electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, PT International Chemical Industry has a production capacity of 100 MWh per year (equivalent to 9 million cells), with a total production capacity target of 256 MWh per year (equivalent to 25 million cells), he noted.

"For electric motorbikes, we have three Indonesian National Standards (SNI) to regulate the standardization provisions for battery packs for KBLBB (battery-based electric motorized vehicles), which are divided into two categories, namely SNI for batteries in general (onboard and swappable) and SNI for swap batteries," he said.

In accordance with the mandate of Presidential Decree 55 of 2019, the government is also providing incentives to consumers and the manufacturing industry.

Incentives for consumers include zero percent sales luxury tax (PPnBM), government-borne value-added tax (PPN DTP), and transfer of motor vehicle ownership (BBNKB); low-interest rates and zero percent down payment; discounts on adding electricity power; special number plates; and incentives for purchasing two-wheeled electric vehicles amounting to Rp7 million.

Meanwhile, incentives for the manufacturing industry include tax holidays, mini tax holidays, tax allowances, import duty facilities, government-borne import duties, and super tax deductions.

"We hope the incentives can trigger the production of various types of KBLBB in Indonesia," Ardika said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Taliban administration wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping's huge 'Belt and Road' infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to China for talks, Afghanistan's acting commerce minister said on Thursday.

Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban-run government since it took over in 2021, even though no other foreign government has recognised the administration.

Last month, China became the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul, with other nations retaining previous ambassadors or appointed heads of mission in a charge d'affaires capacity that does not involve formally presenting credentials to the government.

"We requested China to allow us to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative... (and) are discussing technical issues today," acting Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters in an interview a day after the Belt and Road Forum ended in Beijing.

The Pakistan "economic corridor" refers to the huge flagship section of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Afghanistan's neighbour.

Azizi said the administration would also send a technical team to China to enable it to "better understand" the issues standing in the way of it joining the initiative, but did not elaborate on what was holding Afghanistan back.

Afghanistan could offer China a wealth of coveted mineral resources. Several Chinese companies already operate there, including the Metallurgical Corp. of China Ltd (MCC) which has held talks with the Taliban administration, as well as the previous Western-backed government, over plans for a potentially huge copper mine.

"China, which invests all over the world, should also invest in Afghanistan... we have everything they need, such as lithium, copper and iron," Azizi said. "Afghanistan is now, more than ever, ready for investment."

Asked about the MCC talks, Azizi said discussions had been delayed because the mine was near a historical site, but they were still ongoing. "The Chinese company has made a huge investment, and we support them," he added.

Investors have said security remains a concern. The Islamic State militant group has targeted foreign embassies and a hotel popular with Chinese investors in Kabul.

Asked about the security challenges, Azizi said security was a priority for the Taliban-run government, adding that after 20 years of war - which ended when foreign forces withdrew and the Taliban took over - meant more parts of the country were safe.

"It is now possible to travel to provinces where there is industry, agriculture and mines that one previously could not visit... security can be guaranteed," Azizi added.

Afghanistan and 34 other countries agreed to work together on the digital economy and green development on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - China and Thailand should step up efforts to crack down on cross-border crimes such as telecommunications fraud and online gambling, President Xi Jinping told Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in Beijing on Thursday.

China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Thailand within multilateral frameworks, state media China Central Television quoted Xi as saying while meeting Srettha. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture emphasized that sustainable development of tourism is key to the progress of villages, so support that advances the local aspects and good tourism governance is deemed necessary.

The ministry's Assistant Deputy for Regional Empowerment and Spatial Mobility Herbert Siagian told the press here on Thursday that several villages in remote areas became known by other countries due to the tourism sector. Hence, it is deemed necessary that sustainability is maintained.

"It can be said that tourism is one of the gateways to village transformation. Therefore, we help by coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies if there are obstructions or impasses that hinder the development," he remarked.

According to Siagian, one of the important aspects of villages' tourism sustainability is the development of local wisdom potential that signifies the uniqueness of a village.

He explained that several villages have good natural landscapes and supportive tourism infrastructure but cannot compete due to not having unique qualities that they want to promote.

"Therefore, if the village can (maintain an) inventory and manage existing local wisdom properly, it will be a step forward towards ensuring the sustainability of tourism as well as village independence by developing the village's original source of income," he stated.

He assessed that local wisdom gives higher investment value than tourism infrastructure development.

To this end, he emphasized the need to ensure village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) serve as business entities as well as managers of various resources in the tourism sector.

"Thus, there must be local residents that know about the management and governance of the village's wealth, including the human resources and local wisdom to empower the wealth for developing the prosperity of the village," he remarked.

He also highlighted the importance of coaching by professional workers, both through workshops and talk shows, to share literacy and assist BUMDes to support them in being independent and ready to manage the tourism potential of the village.

"Villages, whose tourism sector is already advanced today, (could be on that level) because they first employ professionals temporarily, so there are individuals, who understand and assist in matters of tourism management and governance," he remarked. (Antaranews)