VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd is expected to sign a cooperation agreement with Indonesia this week for developing lithium batteries for electric cars, said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

"This week, if there is no change, LG Korea will also sign a cooperation (agreement) on developing electric car batteries," he said at a webinar held by UGM on Tuesday.

The cooperation pact follows the signing of another agreement between China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) and Inalum for the development of lithium batteries for electric vehicles.

"So, I said yesterday, CATL was signed, [an agreement was inked] last week between CATL and Inalum for the manufacture of lithium batteries," Pandjaitan said.

The Indonesian government is continuing to approach many parties, including big players in the electric vehicle battery industry, to invest in Indonesia, he added.

“Now, we are also approaching others, the big players," he said.

The former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs said Indonesia wants to be a key player in the electric vehicle battery industry.

Indonesia has the largest nickel reserves in the world and is now starting to downstream nickel. It is hoped that the production of batteries for electric vehicles can begin by the end of 2023 or 2024.

Indonesia plans to produce NMC 811 (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries, in which nickel ore is the main raw material, the minister informed.

Pandjaitan said that Indonesia hopes to enter the global supply chain for electric vehicles through collaborations with other players in the electric vehicle battery industry.

"We should not only export raw materials, so we only depend on commodity prices. With a policy like this, we will not depend on it (commodity prices)," he noted.

Electric vehicles are considered to be one of the solutions for reducing the use of fossil fuels and maintaining air quality.

Indonesia had issued Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 on Acceleration of the Battery Electric Vehicle Program for Road Transportation in August, 2019.

The regulation was followed by Government Regulation Number 73 of 2019 on Taxable Goods classified as luxury items in the form of motorized vehicles that are subject to Sales Tax on Luxury Goods (PPnBM).

In the fourth part of the regulation, the government regulated the PPnBM rate for four-wheeled motorized vehicles utilizing Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) technology, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

For this group of vehicles, the government set a tariff of 15 percent, with a tax base of zero percent of the sale price, given that fuel consumption is equivalent to more than 28 kilometers per liter, or CO2 emission levels reach up to 100 grams per kilometer.

A series of rules were then translated through four ministerial regulations. The Minister of Transportation issued Regulation Number 45 of 2020 on Certain Vehicles Using Electric Motor Drives.

The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) issued Regulation Number 13 of 2020 on the Provision of Electricity Charging Infrastructure for Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicles (BEV) and the Home Affairs Minister issued Regulation Number 8 of 2020 on Basic Calculations for Imposing Motor Vehicle Taxes and Transfer of Motor Vehicle Title Fees.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry (Permenperin) issued Regulation Number 27 of 2020 concerning Specifications, Development Roadmap, and Provisions for Calculating Domestic Component Levels of Domestic Motor Vehicles for BEV. (Antaranews)

The Republic of Indonesia and the Islamic Republic of Iran shared best practices on making districts and cities child-friendly during online meetings connecting Jakarta, Bali, and Tehran.

"Indonesia and Iran are member countries of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which shows the commitment of the two countries to promote the fulfillment of children's rights in an inclusive nation building," Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati Puspayoga, said in Denpasar, Bali. The meeting was covered virtually from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The minister said the best practices shared by the two countries on creating child-friendly districts and cities involve a child-based development system through integrating commitments and resources from the government, society, media, and the business world.

A child-friendly district or city is a planned system that is comprehensive and sustainable and involves the implementation of policies, programs, and activities aimed at ensuring the fulfillment of children's rights and special child protection.

"A child-friendly district/city is a manifestation of the commitment of the Indonesian government, which has been stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and has been passed down to various laws at the national level. Its implementation has also been integrated into Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government," Puspayoga said.

The minister said the Regional Government Law emphasizes government affairs in the field of child protection are mandatory and must be carried out by the government, together with and through the support of the community, the media, and the business world.

During the meeting, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoumeh Ebtekar, expressed the hope that the implementation of child-friendly districts and cities in Indonesia and Iran can set an example for other countries in Asia.

"Hopefully our children, women, and our families can experience higher security, a healthy and good environment, a healthier living space for children's survival to do well," she said.

Through the meeting, Ebtekar said she hoped the two countries would exchange information and experiences on giving attention to children, women, and families wherever they are.

"After this meeting, Iran and Indonesia should pay better attention to the physical and mental health of children," she remarked. (Antaranews)

 Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said he hopes more Indonesian halal goods and services will penetrate the global market through cooperation with other countries.

"In the future, it is hoped that cooperation in the economic and trade fields can be expanded, [and] at the same time, investment opportunities can be opened up and marketing of Indonesian halal products and services can go to the global market," said Ma'ruf Amin at the virtual launch of ‘The State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2020/2021’ in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The Vice President also welcomed the improvement in Indonesia's ranking from fifth in 2019 to fourth in 2020 in the SGIE Report 2020/2021.

"I am grateful that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia's Global Islamic Indicator ranking, according to the SGIE Report 2020/2021, has succeeded in being in fourth place, moving up from number five in 2019, and up from ranking 10th the previous year," he stated.

According to the report, Indonesia has managed to expand its Islamic economic ecosystem through several incentives facilitating industry and investment in infrastructure, halal products and services.

The role of the Islamic economy in Indonesia has also seen rapid progress, particularly in the food, fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, banking finance, and halal recreational media sectors, the report states. This is due to the large Muslim population in Indonesia, explained Ma'ruf.

"We have to take in this increase in ranking by continuing and strengthening Indonesia's Islamic economic ecosystem, so that it can make Indonesia a world-class halal producer and a driving force for the national economy," he remarked.

The Vice President said he is also optimistic that Indonesia's ranking in the development of the Islamic economy can encourage national economic recovery (PEN) by the end of 2021.

"Hopefully, through this strong synergy and collaboration, Indonesia's vision to become a global Sharia economic hub and [a key player in] the world's halal industry, as well as efforts to make Islamic economics and finance as new post-pandemic economic sources can be realized soon," he remarked. (Antaranews)

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan held a number of meetings on the first day of his working visit in Washington DC, USA, Monday (16/11/2020).

Luhut met with CEO of Conservation International (CI) M Sanjayan, Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, President of World Bank David Malpass, and United States Trade Representatives (USTR) Robert Lighthizer.

During the visit, Luhut was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar, Deputy Minister of BUMN II Kartika Wirjoatmodjo, Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Lutfi, and Expert Staff to the Minister of Trade for International Relations Arlinda Imbang Jaya.

"Today's meeting, in my opinion, is extraordinary, because I did not expect the response from the meetings throughout the day, both at the World Bank, IMF, Asia Group, as well as earlier with the USTR which was the subject of our visit, and the last dinner tonight. Those attending really reflect the presence of the two parties, and we are really friends," Luhut said in a written statement in Jakarta, Tuesday.

In a meeting with CI, Luhut and Sanjayan discussed co-funding opportunities with private partners for conservation and restoration programs for carbon credits in both coastal and terrestrial areas.

Sanjayan acknowledged that Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia were key countries because of their forest assets. He also called Indonesia the best in handling these assets.

Meanwhile, with the IMF and World Bank, Luhut discussed the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, national economic recovery, and Indonesia's efforts to maintain and improve its environmental conditions.

The two officials met by Luhut also expressed their appreciation for the progressive steps that have been taken by Indonesia. In particular, the IMF praised Indonesia as a country that has succeeded in implementing sound fiscal discipline, so that in times of crisis it can issue a stimulus without increasing its debt burden significantly.

Meanwhile, the President of the World Bank said that he was happy to be able to get an explanation of the Job Creation Law, which according to him would provide great benefits for the Indonesian people.

"I am very happy to be able to discuss the Omnibus Law on Work Creation with Minister Pandjaitan. Its implementation will provide many benefits for the Indonesian people," said David Malpass.

As for the meeting with USTR Robert Lighthizer, Luhut expressed his gratitude for the good cooperation so that the GSP review could be completed properly.

The extension of the GSP is considered to provide opportunities for employment and opportunities for many SMEs in Indonesia.

Lighthizer also said he was happy for the good cooperation in the negotiation process. Initially, he predicted that the lifting of the GSP which was carried out on India and Turkey would also be carried out for Indonesia.

However, due to good cooperation, this matter can be resolved properly. Lighthizer also expressed his belief that Indonesia will always be a strategic partner for the US in the economy and geopolitics so that he hopes that broader and more strategic talks can be carried out in the future.

In addition to these meetings, Luhut also held social gatherings with figures from the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. (Antaranews)