Indonesia - Elon Musk Love Each Other: From Tesla until X - Twitter

San Francisco 2.22am / Jakarta 4.22pm

Indonesia has sought to capitalise on its attractiveness as a neutral supply chain base, but still 2-3 steps behind Singapore, KL / Cyberjaya Putrajaya, and Bengaluru for emerging data centre and established semiconductor hub.

Simmering US-China tensions are increasingly pushing global businesses to seek locations outside China amid wider supply-chain realignment. On the same day, even at the same hour, Dentons (or Dacheng 大成 in China), the largest western law firm in China by staff, the world's largest global law firm by number of lawyers [12,064] and the 6th-largest law firm by revenue, is hiving off its operation in the country, amid high percentage unemployment in China including local attorneys. Then (same hour), President Biden plans to restrict some U.S. investments in China. Decoupling signal.

Tesla has begun producing in Shanghai Giga-factory a version of the Tesla Model Y to be sold in Canada this year, the first time it will ship cars to North America from China. This is just 3 days after Canada administration PM Justin Trudeau deals with Volkswagen, signing an unprecedented contract with the company to offer up to $13 billion (it was Canadian taxpayer money that bought it) in production subsidies over 10 years especially for VW factory plant in St Thomas Canada, effectively matching the U.S. incentives on offer. Tesla has lost $50 billion market value. But with two moments of Denton shut down its operation in China and Biden’s plan to restrict some U.S. investment in China, not yet response by Tesla or Elon Musk himself.

June 1, 2023, Elon Musk met with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on in Beijing, a source familiar with the matter said, after May 30 meet former Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

The source declined to provide details of the discussions. The previously unreported meeting followed meetings with China's commerce and industry ministers earlier in the day and with the former Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang.

Tesla and the State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the Chinese government, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Ding is the sixth highest-ranked leader in the Politburo Standing Committee, the top governing body led by President Xi Jinping. He was Xi's chief of staff before he was promoted to his current position last year and his job includes helping the premier, Li Qiang, manage the world's second-largest economy.

This marks the first time that Ding is known to have had a one-on-one meeting with a foreign CEO and his discussion with Musk speaks of the importance China places on its relationship with Tesla. China is the automaker's second-largest market and home to its biggest production hub.

It was not immediately clear if Musk met Li Qiang during the trip. Tesla had previously sought a meeting for Musk with Li, Reuters reported in March.

Musk left Shanghai (between June 2 or June 3, no detail), wrapping up a trip to China in which he also met a key battery supplier and visited Tesla's Shanghai factory.

As Indonesia continues its years-long effort to court investments from billionaire Elon Musk, observers have said the country’s giant nickel reserves may not be as large a draw as hoped, while its fossil fuel reliance suggests Jakarta is “not entirely serious” about its renewable energy push.

At least 3 accidents involving shipping cargo linkage with EV cars. There will need to be a re-think about the safe shipping of EVs. The 650-foot Fremantle Highway caught fire July 26 en route from Bremerhaven, Germany, to Singapore with 3,783 vehicles aboard, including 498 EVs. It took until Sunday for the fire and smoke to subside sufficiently for tugboats to pull the freighter out of shipping lanes. Earlier July, another vehicle ship caught fire at the Port of Newark, killing two firefighters. Another ship burned and sank in March 2022. The Felicity Ace sank about 400 kilometers (250 miles) off Portugal’s Azores Islands as it was being towed after a salvage team had put out the fire. The urgency to build more EV factories by automakers is widening globally, not only Gigafactory - Tesla. 

(Retired Army General) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, said last month that he planned to speak with the world’s richest man during a visit to California on August 2 (7 days ago), in an umpteenth attempt to strike a deal as the country seeks to become a regional electric-vehicle manufacturing hub. Sadly, another worrisome potential investment by Tesla - linkage with Gigafactory and or nickel ore supply chain in Indonesia. Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023, former Directorate Generale Energy - Mineral Ministry arrested by Attorney General, because corruption about nickel ore in Mandiodo Block, North Konawe Celebes Indonesia.

While Jakarta did not confirm if Luhut eventually met Musk, and no proof uploaded in social media about (potential) Luhut - Elon Musk meeting, at least Secreatry of State Antony John Blinken uploaded his meeting with Luhut in DC. Blinken wrote in Twitter (but not uploaded in his Instagram), his meeting with Luhut proof of commitment “sustainable energy transition and transparent infrastructure globally”, a lot of hints about (1) EV, (2) gigantic infrastructure of Industrial Park, or (3) new capital city of Indonesia.

Voice of America gets provided footage by Indonesia ministry of maritime affairs and investment (Luhut’s ministry) about Luhut - Elon meeting on August 3, but even its ministry is not yet uploaded in Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Indonesia Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin did score a meeting on August 4 with the entrepreneur to discuss cooperation with his satellite network, Starlink, to provide low-cost internet access to remote health centres in the archipelago. “With internet access, health service consultations can be done online,” Budi said (Aug 6th, 2023).

At least ten thousand users in Indonesia for X —- formerly known TWITTER, already upgraded to blue verified between January - June 2023.

With repeated fire

The average EV sells for:

-US$4,600 more than the median gasoline car in U.S., 

-average EV sells for AUD$17,000 (US$11,500) more than the median gasoline car in Australia,

-average EV sells for £13,000 (US$16,600) more than the median gasoline car in UK, 

-average EV sells for Rs 370,000 (US$4,500) more than the median gasoline car in India,

-average EV sells for IDR (Rupiah) 190 million (US$12,500) more than the median gasoline car in Indonesia, 

but by most calculations, will save money over the long run. Yet nailing down a precise number is tricky because of fluctuating gasoline prices, electricity bills, and inflation. Indonesia’s annual inflation, for example, just 4.9%

Consumers who rack up more than 25,000km - 30,000km (15,600 miles - 18,600 miles) per year are expected to reach that parity point first, and estimates service and repair costs to be 55-600 per cent cheaper per kilometer than traditional cars.

Indonesia is still keen to court Elon Musk, officials ‘not worried’ by Tesla’s Malaysia base because just selling offices is the same as in Singapore and Bangkok. So far LinkedIn Tesla just shows 1 vacancy in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia as Office Administrator and 1 Regional Sales in Bangkok, no vacancy about Indonesia, cited wrong spelling location (in Tesla LinkedIn) about Roma/Rome Italy or Roma East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia.

The Indonesian government is still very confident that Elon Musk will build a Gigafactory in Indonesia.

June 2022, Tesla fired its Singapore country manager, who was with the company just over one year, after Elon Musk warned of cutting 10% of the company's staff.

Officials from Luhut’s ministry have spent the past week reassuring the public that Tesla’s new regional headquarters in Selangor was not a sign that Indonesia was being overlooked by Musk.

“Tesla’s investment in Malaysia is not [in the form of] an EV factory, but for sales and distribution, so we’re not too worried about that,” Septian Hario Seto, deputy for investment and mining coordination at the ministry, said on July 25. “What we are targeting are EV factories. For Malaysia, it only invests in distribution and charging networks.”

Indonesian officials have also made a few unsubstantiated claims to prove their efforts were not fruitless. Last August, Luhut claimed Tesla had agreed to purchase US$5 billion worth of Indonesian nickel produced by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and CNGR Advanced Material. Tesla has never commented on this claim.

In February, Widodo said in an interview with Reuters that he was “confident” Tesla would invest, as the country had the world’s biggest nickel reserves at 21 million metric tonnes. Nickel is a key material in EV batteries.

“I said to [Musk] that if you invest in Indonesia, I will give concessions in nickel [mining],” Widodo had said. Tesla has not made any decisions to date.

Apart from selling cars, Tesla is establishing a head office, service hub and experience centre in Malaysia’s Selangor, and will invest “significantly” in a network of fast-charging and regular-charging stations across the country.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Musk was also interested in rolling out his Starlink satellite service across the country. Jokowi himself meet Anwar in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 2 months ago (7-8 June 2023).

Anwar said “political stability” had brought Tesla to the nation of 33.9 million people. “When the unity government came about, there is political stability … When the political climate is stable, people are sure to come,” he said during a speech on July 28.

According to Anwar, it was Musk who had contacted him for a meeting, after a previous request made by a former minister failed.

“Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. Elon Musk is richer than countries. It is quite difficult to bring him in. But once we became stable, I didn’t ask to talk to him; he asked to talk to me,” he said.

But analysts note that political stability is not the sole driver for Tesla’s investments in the region. Before Malaysia’s election last November, the country had three prime ministers in three years, and a unity government consisting of Anwar’s party and former foes was forged to calm divisions in the country.

In comparison, Joko Widodo has governed Indonesia since 2014, with his coalition making up more than 81 per cent of seats in parliament. 7 Indonesia’s prominent survey or poll show that approval rating for Jokowi in his 9th year presidency “highest ever in Presidential history” of Indonesia, very contrast with turmoil in Malaysia. Reach approval 77-85%, at least by 7 prominent survey or pollster. For comparison, former President SBY in year 9, just get 33-38% approval rating.

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-prada- Adi Mulia Pradana is a Helper. Former adviser (President Indonesia) Jokowi for mapping 2-times election. I used to get paid to catch all these blunders—now I do it for free. Trying to work out what's going on, what happens next. Arch enemies of the tobacco industry, (still) survive after getting doxed. Now figure out, or, prevent catastrophic situations in the Indonesian administration from outside the government. After his mom was nearly killed by a syndicate, now I do it (catch all these blunders, especially blunders by an asshole syndicates) for free. Writer actually facing 12 years attack-simultaneously (physically terror, cyberattack terror) by his (ex) friend in IR UGM / HI UGM (all of them actually indebted to me, at least get a very cheap book). 2 times, my mom nearly got assassinated by my friend with “komplotan” / weird syndicate. Once assassin, forever is assassin, that I was facing in years. I push myself to be (keep) dovish, pacifist, and you can read my pacifist tone in every note I write. A framing that myself propagated for years.

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