China Drives Indonesia’s Push for Clean Energy and More Coal

China sits at the heart of Indonesia’s energy paradox — driving the country’s ambitious shift toward renewables while remaining deeply entrenched in its coal economy. Chinese financing and technology are accelerating Indonesia’s clean energy buildout, from nickel refining to electric vehicles and solar manufacturing.

Yet the same Chinese firms are also behind large swathes of Indonesia’s coal infrastructure, including off-grid plants that power the smelters fueling its industrial boom.

Kevin Zongzhe Li, an affiliated researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, explored this paradox in a recent report that also details how Jakarta is carefully positioning itself among the major powers to facilitate the transition to more sustainable energy supplies.

SHOW NOTES:

• The Asia Society Policy Institute: Indonesia’s Energy Transition: Exercising Strategic Agency in Partnership with China by Kevin Zongzhe Li

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