Saudi Don't Want to Lose Indonesia as They Lost China: Minister Luhut

Saudi Arabia does not want to lose Indonesia as a partner and is looking to invest more in the country, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has disclosed. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, has said that Saudi Arabia is willing to extensively invest in Indonesia, the minister said in Banjarmasin on Friday.

The Crown Prince conveyed this to Minister Pandjaitan during his working visit to Saudi Arabia two months ago. In the past four months, the minister has met the Crown Prince twice.

“He said, ‘General Luhut, I ask for one thing.’ He told his ministers, basically ‘I don't want to lose Indonesia like we lost China in the 80s. We want to put large investment in Indonesia,’” Minister Pandjaitan recalled.

He said that Saudi Arabia wants to invest in several sectors that are currently being developed in Indonesia. “‘(The Crown Prince said that) Whatever you make, I will go with you. No matter what, I want to (invest in) the capital, I (want to invest in) the mangroves, I (want to invest in) high tech, I (want to invest in) the data center,’ et cetera," the minister added.

Pandjaitan said that this had never happened before. Indonesia's relations with Saudi Arabia are so good right now that it allowed Indonesia some additional Hajj quota, he noted.
Saudi Arabia did this because it sees Indonesia as a country that is currently developing and growing into a promising investment destination, he added.

Minister Pandjaitan said that Indonesia is too big a country to side with another country. He further said he is confident that Indonesia could become an independent country, given its resources. According to him, cooperation with any country can be undertaken as long as it benefits the citizens.