Apple CEO Tim Cook upon his arrival in Indonesia, April 17, 2024 (AFP/BAY ISMOYO)
Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday and discussed ways to invest in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
The visit comes at a time when, in the United States, the Biden administration is seeking to reduce dependence on China in the technology supply chain, by strengthening the role of other Asian trading partners.
“Indonesia is a very important market for us. We’ve talked about the president’s desire to see production in the country, and that’s something we’re going to look at,” Tim Cook told reporters.
“I think the investment capacity in Indonesia is endless. We believe in the country,” he added.
The day before, the iPhone manufacturer announced that it was setting up a fourth developer academy in Indonesia, on the island of Bali. Visiting Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday, Tim Cook also announced more spending with his Vietnamese suppliers, without detailing the amount or recipients.
The Indonesian archipelago has a tech-savvy and young population, with more than 100 million people under the age of 30, but Apple is dominated in the smartphone market by Android and has no official store there, its products having to be purchased on resale platforms.
Tim Cook then met for two hours on Wednesday with the future Indonesian president, current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who won the February presidential election and will take office in October.
Among the points discussed, “the collaboration between Apple and the Indonesian government”, said the press release, recalling that Tim Cook had written in March to Prabowo Subianto to express confidence in “more successful cooperation between Indonesia and Apple”.
The same month, Indonesian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi said Cook’s visit could involve discussions on new investments, including a smartphone factory.
“There are all possibilities, we will see what the approach is, because there are a lot of Apple users in Indonesia,” he said in local media.
Apple did not respond to AFP’s request for clarification regarding its plans in Indonesia.
© 2024 AFP
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