Deputy Minister of Investment Emphasises that US Access to Indonesian Minerals Must Involve Domestic Processing

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Deputy Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Todotua Pasaribu, has affirmed that the US’s access to Indonesia’s critical minerals within the framework of a trade agreement still requires investment and downstream processing within the country.

“Basically, the US’s request to grant American businesses access to our mineral sectors, including rare earths, is not actually a problem,” he said when met after the Socialisation of Government Regulation No. 28/2025 in Jakarta, Thursday.

He affirmed that Indonesia remains committed to the rule prohibiting the export of raw materials without processing. Therefore, every investor entering the mineral sector is required to invest in processing within the country.

“As long as they comply with the rule that if they want to enter, they must invest in processing. Because our country, by law, does not allow the export of our raw materials. There is a process, downstreaming, investment, and then they can enter,” said Todotua.

“It’s just normal business-to-business,” he added.

Furthermore, Todotua explained that the government has set a target for annual investment realisation and is promoting priority sectors based on downstreaming, with a total investment value in the country reaching IDR 13,000 trillion in the next five years.

“We already have a big plan for investment. There are annual investment targets that we must achieve. There are priority sectors that we are promoting, especially in relation to the concept of downstreaming,” he said.