JAKARTA: Indonesia will provide incentives to Apple so that the technology giant company invests in building factories in Indonesia.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said Apple was interested in investing in the artificial intelligence or AI sector in the Indonesian capital (IKN), Bali and Solo.
The government will provide incentives in the form of free entry fees for goods, for example Apple components.
“So we just copy what India makes, what Thailand makes, later we learn, of course we adjust left and right to comply with our rules,” said Luhut in a video uploaded to his Instagram account, Thursday (18/4/ 2024).
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) himself has appointed Luhut as Apple’s investment coordinator in IKN.
Luhut continued that Indonesia will provide incentives to Apple in a larger amount than India and Thailand.
“In fact, the president ordered me to say, ‘Mr Luhut, this is competition time. “So if in Thailand or India he gets 2, well, if we can give more than 2 commas, how much should we be able to,” he added.
The 76-year-old Coordinating Minister said Apple was interested in investing in Indonesia because of economic growth, the demographic bonus and the good down stream of the industry in the country.
The focus of discussions between the government and Apple currently focuses on exploring strategic plans, namely Apple’s expansion opportunities and Indonesia’s integration into the global supply chain.
Luhut hopes that in the future, his party will meet to discuss technical matters with the Apple team.
Previously, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with President Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (17 April).
He emphasized that Indonesia is a very important market for his company.
So far, Apple has invested more than IDR 1 trillion in Indonesia for the construction of the Apple Development Academy.
This program is digital talent training to develop Apple applications which are currently spread across four cities, namely BSD Tangerang, Surabaya, Batam and Bali.