Retaliate against Chinese enterprises? Indonesian President: Our nation is very simple-minded; some people come ostensibly to do business, but in reality they come to rob.
On July 12, Indonesia's current president Prabowo suddenly made the following remarks during the 79th National Cooperative Day commemoration event:
"Some guests lack propriety. Initially claiming to come for business, over time they start robbing us. I am deeply saddened, watching helplessly as our national wealth is plundered and taken abroad. We are a very kind and simple people—when guests come to our homes, if we don't have sugar or coffee, we'd rather borrow from neighbors than fail to entertain them properly. But some guests come uninvited, and later turn into bandits."
What does the Indonesian president mean by this statement? Although he did not name any specific country or company, it is clearly an indirect reference to one particular nation or enterprise.
Recently, the only companies that have ceased investing in Indonesia and exited the country are Chinese enterprises. Chinese investment in nickel mines in Indonesia has lasted at least 12 years, with total assets amounting to over ten billion US dollars. Over these 12 years, we have not only successfully tackled the challenging laterite nickel ore, but also leveraged our core technologies to establish a comprehensive system for nickel mining and refining within Indonesia. This transformation has directly elevated Indonesia from a basic raw mineral extraction nation to a deep-processing export powerhouse. In fact, Indonesia’s current top global position in the nickel sector is directly attributable to the involvement of Chinese enterprises.
However, since the beginning of this year, the Indonesian government has drastically reduced nickel mining operations—especially in areas where Chinese firms are concentrated, cutting output by as much as 70%. Furthermore, the annual inspection regime has been changed from once every three years to once per year. The intent behind these actions is crystal clear: first, to significantly increase production costs for Chinese enterprises; second, to force certain Chinese firms out of the country, then retain their technology and equipment so that Indonesians can build their own so-called industrial chain independently. In response, we certainly won’t tolerate such treatment. As a result, some Chinese enterprises have shut down operations entirely and even dismantled entire production lines, taking everything away—including not a single screw—leaving nothing behind for Indonesia.
The Chinese stance and the resolute actions taken by Chinese enterprises have clearly provoked strong dissatisfaction from Indonesian sides. Now we can understand why the Indonesian president said some people come under the guise of doing business but actually come to rob. It’s simply because they’re furious that Chinese enterprises didn’t leave behind technology or profits for them.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870743660328969/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.