22-1-2025 (JAKARTA) Indonesia’s investment climate could see a significant shift as negotiations between the Southeast Asian nation and American technology behemoth Apple approach a promising conclusion, potentially ending the contentious iPhone 16 sales embargo.
Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, expressed optimism about reaching an agreement within a fortnight. The development comes months after Indonesia implemented stringent regulations requiring mobile phone manufacturers to incorporate at least 40 per cent locally-sourced components in their devices.
The ban, which took effect last year, dealt a significant blow to Apple’s market presence in the world’s fourth most populous nation. The tech giant, which has historically maintained its global manufacturing operations primarily in China and India, found itself at odds with Indonesia’s push for domestic manufacturing participation.
Whilst Apple has maintained a presence in Indonesia since 2018 through its developer academies, which train local software engineers, the company has yet to establish manufacturing facilities in the archipelago nation of 280 million potential consumers.
