Apple CEO meets Jokowi to talk investments

Apple chief executive Tim Cook met Indonesia’s president yesterday, as the tech giant explores ways to invest in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and diversify supply chains away from China.

The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to boost other Asian trade partners’ roles in the global tech supply chain to reduce American dependence on China.

Cook travelled to Indonesia’s presidential palace in Jakarta to meet Joko Widodo, the outgoing leader more popularly known as Jokowi, who has promoted a burgeoning tech sector.

“Indonesia is a very important market for us. We talked about the president’s desire to see manufacturing in the country, and it’s something that we will look at,” he told reporters.

“I think the investment ability in Indonesia is endless. We believe in the country,” he added.

“It was a dialogue about how much potential there is in the country and our commitment to the country.”

The iPhone-maker announced Tuesday it will expand its developer academies in Indonesia to four with a new facility on the Hindu resort island of Bali.

Indonesia has a young, techsavvy population with more than 100 million people under the age of 30, but Apple is dominated in the smartphone market by Google’s Android, according to statistics.

Cook later met president-elect and current defence minister Prabowo Subianto, who will take the reins from Jokowi in October after his election win in February.

The pair held talks that lasted more than an hour at the defence ministry in Jakarta, according to a ministry statement.

They “discussed various matters, especially regarding collaboration between Apple and the Indonesian government”, the statement said.