Through STM, Indonesia Aims to Focus on Developing High-Tech Industry
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Indonesian government is strengthening strategic trade governance through the development of Strategic Trade Management (STM) to realise the development of high-tech industry.
STM is used as a mechanism that ensures the trade of strategic goods and technologies takes place securely and reliably, without hampering national competitiveness and economic growth.
The development of STM also aligns with the government’s efforts to strengthen strategic technology-based industries that require access to goods, technologies and global supply chains.
Ali Murtopo Simbolon, Deputy for Commerce and Digital Economy Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, said strategic industry will become one of the new engines of Indonesia’s economic growth, in pursuit of accelerating growth to 6% in 2027 and 7–8% in 2028.
“These new sectors will certainly come from realisation, digital transformation, innovation, and the development of high-technology-based industries,” Ali said in a press release for the Industry Outreach Day agenda, quoted on Wednesday (16/9/2026).
Ali considers the development of STM increasingly relevant given rapid economic transformation and technological advancement.
He said Indonesia is pushing new sources of growth through technology- and innovation-based industries, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres, and various emerging technologies that will increasingly determine national competitiveness.
According to Ali, Indonesia must not merely be a market for future technologies, but must become part of the value chain that creates those technologies.
In its implementation, STM is not intended to restrict trade, but rather to serve as an instrument for building secure and trustworthy trade.
This governance is also needed to ensure that strategic goods and technologies with potential dual-use applications are not diverted to activities that could harm national or international security.
Moreover, Indonesia’s exports of semiconductor devices and electronic integrated circuits reached approximately USD 4.1 billion in 2025, rising sharply from USD 1.5 billion in 2024.
“The goal is to ensure that legitimate trade can continue to run, while at the same time the risks of diversion and misuse can be properly managed,” he affirmed.
To strengthen readiness for STM implementation, the government is encouraging cooperation with the United States through the exchange of knowledge, experience and technical support.
The cooperation also supports the development of strategic sectors such as semiconductors, aerospace and energy, including through strengthening the industrial ecosystem, technology, and national talent capacity.
The involvement of the business community is also part of the effort to provide input on conditions on the ground, industry needs, and potential implementation challenges, so that STM governance can be applied appropriately whilst continuing to support trade, investment, economic growth and the development of national industry.
“We expect input from the business community, particularly regarding conditions and needs on the ground, potential challenges in implementation, and aspects that need the government’s attention in developing STM in Indonesia,” he explained.