“As a middle power” being a member of Brics offers Indonesia “leverage in the global order”, said Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert from Padjadjaran University in West Java. And with the US “veering towards unilateralism” under the incoming Trump administration, the move will “bolster” Indonesia’s “multilateral credentials”, said Alexander Raymond Arifianto, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
Grand ambitions
Two other developments could significantly help the nation’s economy and global standing in the years to come. Indonesia now produces nearly half the world’s refined nickel and two-thirds of its mined nickel, said The Economist. As its market share has grown, “so too has the grandeur of its politicians’ ambitions”, and they plan to build a complete electric vehicle supply chain, something only China has managed so far.
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The move bolsters the international alliance, seen as a counterpart to the G7 group, and also marks the latest chapter in Indonesia’s bid to become a more influential player on the world stage.
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