Upgraded ties between the United States and Indonesia will open the door to more robust critical mineral trade and deepen defense cooperation, but U.S. concerns about the quality of Indonesian nickel and the country's commitments to environmental, social and governance standards, as well as Jakarta's desire to balance between Washington and Beijing, will impose an upper limit on collaboration. On Nov. 14, U.S. President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Joko ''Jokowi'' Widodo met at the White House where they upgraded ties to a ''comprehensive strategic partnership,'' Indonesia's top-tier diplomatic relationship. The elevated ties will focus on climate, energy, digital connectivity and defense, per the two countries' Joint Statement. The two sides also agreed to begin discussions to ''develop a critical minerals action plan'' primarily geared toward using Indonesian nickel and cobalt for green energy use and will soon issue a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. State Department and Indonesia's...
