From left, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao pose for a family photo during the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF) on the sidelines of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept 5, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Indonesia is encouraging member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialog partners to jointly develop nickel resources to meet the growing demand of the global electric vehicle market.

The ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum has three main agenda -- green infrastructure and resilient supply chains, digital transformation and creative economy, and sustainable and creative financing, said Indonesia’s Vice-Foreign Minister Pahala Nugraha Mansury

Indonesia and the Philippines, both ASEAN countries, are among the world’s biggest nickel producers.

“We have resources. We have the market,” Indonesia’s Vice-Foreign Minister Pahala Nugraha Mansury said in a news conference on Sept 6.

He said other ASEAN countries like Thailand are also keen to develop products that support the EV ecosystem.

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The press briefing was held after Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum -- one of the events that are part of this week’s ASEAN summit. Indonesia is this year’s rotating chair of the summit.

Mansury said international cooperation in nickel resource development in Indonesia and the Philippines is one of the projects that can be promoted at the forum. Other projects that can be jointly developed include non-nickel smelters, industrial parks, toll roads, agriculture production, electricity generation, transportation, and hospitality projects.   

Mansury said the forum has three main agenda -- green infrastructure and resilient supply chains, digital transformation and creative economy, and sustainable and creative financing, adding that no country in the region should be left behind. 

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In the upcoming days of ASEAN’s meeting with its dialog partners, the Indonesian side will make presentations on the projects, in addition to other projects also to be showcased by other ASEAN member countries.

Rosan Roslani, Indonesian vice minister of state companies, said intra-regional trade among ASEAN members has increased but intra-regional cooperation and investment “needs improvement”                           

Leonardus Jegho is a freelance journalist for China Daily. 

Contact the writers at prime@chinadailyapac.com