The Nickel War: Politics, Power, and Profit
![Indonesia China](https://cdn1.katadata.co.id/media/dinsights/images/thumb/2023/09/18/2023_09_18-06_31_44_1f4acc4e6f31a91e5e75150b148e4bf5_620x413_thumb.jpg)
Topic
- The nickel war ensued as Indonesian nickel flooded the global market. Indonesia’s ambition to maximize the value-add from its nickel resources has propelled its global market share of nickel output to approximately 53% last year, up from about 34% in 2019.
- Indonesian nickel has become a symbol of trade rivalry and geopolitical tension between China and the West. The China-Indonesia partnership challenges traditional Western institutions and values, including the role of the WTO and the ideology of free trade.
- The downstreaming policy and other programs will serve as a proving ground for the depth of Prabowo and Jokowi’s relationship. It will be a testbed to reveal how both figures manage conflicts and resolve differences in interests and perspectives.