Indonesia on verge of becoming EV leader, needs Asean ‘collaboration’ for region to be manufacturing hub: experts
- One tech investor said Indonesia was ‘at the precipice’ of becoming one of the world’s leaders in the EV space
- Asean could become a global EV production hub if Indonesia can cooperate with other bloc members Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, another expert said
Southeast Asian economies could join forces to become a global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles (EVs) and lead the world’s sustainability efforts, industry experts told a business forum on Monday, as Indonesia pursues its goal of leading the EV space.
“Sometimes it’s actually good that collaboration can be done,” he said. “I actually see … Asean as a production hub for the world. We may have two parallel supply chains to the East and the West but that’s OK.”
Bakrie was speaking at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023, which focuses on trade and investment issues between the city and Southeast Asian countries. The event is organised by the South China Morning Post in partnership with the Hong Kong-Asean Foundation and the Our Hong Kong Foundation.
He was part of a panel discussion that explored the role of regional countries in Indonesia’s development.
We see Asean not only as a place for growth … and hopefully bringing stable geopolitics to the world but also a place that can contribute to sustainability
In a separate keynote address, Bakrie said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as a regional bloc was “on track” to become the world’s fourth-biggest economy and among the largest export regions.