Briefing with newly-appointed Indonesian Ambassador

On 11 February 2016 President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo announced a series of economic reforms intended to produce a ‘big bang’ in the Indonesian economy. Aimed at boosting foreign direct investment into the country while at the same time protecting SMEs, the package will remove 35 industrial sectors from a ‘negative investment list’ allowing 100 percent foreign ownership. Indonesian Trade Minister Tom Lembong stated that this increased foreign investment would be coupled with greater government infrastructure investment to ‘compensate for weaker export performance and drive economic growth’.

The newly-appointed Indonesian Ambassador to the UK Dr Rizal Sukma will join Asia House corporate members for a private briefing to discuss President Jokowi’s economic reform programme.

Before assuming his post as the Ambassador of Indonesia to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Dr Rizal Sukma was Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD). Since receiving a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1997, he has worked extensively on such issues as Southeast Asian security, ASEAN, Indonesia’s defence and foreign policy, military reform, Islam and politics, and domestic political changes in Indonesia.

In the lead up to the 2014 Indonesian general election Dr Sukma served as Foreign Affairs Adviser to President Jokowi and played a significant role in formulating foreign policy.

This event is open to Asia House corporate members only.

For further information, please contact: Jeremy Wimble, Business & Policy Team at jeremy.wimble@asiahouse.co.uk or call 0207 307 5454.