USINDO

Virtual Welcome Event September 22 in Honor of the New Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Muhammad Lutfi
2020-09-22 17:00 - 17:45 (America/New_York)
USINDO cordially invites you to a
Virtual Welcome Event
in Honor of
Indonesia’s New Ambassador to the United States
H.E. Muhammad Lutfi

Tuesday, September 22, 2020
5:00 – 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time
Zoom Registration Here

(Zoom details will be provided following registration)
USINDO is pleased to invite you to join us at a virtual welcome event at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday September 22 to welcome Indonesia’s new ambassador to the United States, H.E. Muhammad Lutfi.
Ambassador Lutfi became Chairman of Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in 2005. He was Indonesia’s Ambassador to Japan from 2010 to 2013, and in 2014 was appointed Indonesia’s Minister of Trade. Ambassador Lutfi was spokesperson of the President Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin presidential election campaign team, and spoke at USINDO in that capacity in 2019. He has also had a distinguished record in the business world.
This week in Jakarta, Ambassador Lutfi stated his commitment to advancing Indonesia’s trade and investment with the United States, including removing the last barriers to restoration of Indonesia’s trade preferences under GSP, and other significant bilateral trade and investment goals.
The event will begin with welcoming remarks by USINDO and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell (invited), followed by Ambassador Lutfi’s remarks, and a brief Q and A session.
Please register via this link as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email dhanifah@usindo.org.

Biographical Information – H.E. Ambassador Muhammad Lutfi
Ambassador Lutfi joined the Indonesian government in 2005, when he was appointed Chairman of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). He became Indonesia’s Ambassador to Japan in 2010. In 2014 he was appointed Indonesia’s Minister of Trade. In the same year, the Government of Indonesia awarded him the Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana, one of its highest civilian honors.
Before his tenure in the government, he dedicated his time to nurturing entrepreneurship among young businessmen and chaired the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) in 2001. He received global recognition when the World Economic Forum named him Young Global Leader in 2008.
In the business world, Ambassador Lutfi has been chairman of PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk, an integrated energy company in oil and gas exploration and production, and other energy ventures. Ambassador Lutfi received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Purdue University.

2020 Gala Dinner: "U.S.-Indonesia Economic Relations 2020: Seizing the Potential for Trade and Investment"
2020-02-13 06:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk)
USINDO is pleased to announce our exciting 2020 Gala Dinner Thursday, February 13 at the Four Seasons Hotel. This year’s special Gala Dinner will have the theme “U.S.-Indonesia Economic Relations 2020: Seizing the Potential for Trade and Investment.”
There has been recent progress on resolving US-Indonesia trade issues, and a resurgence of interest in investment in Indonesia, with the establishment of the new U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Indonesia’s plans for creating a new capital. We are honored to have present leading Indonesian ministers and key U.S. economic officials to address our theme.
Our Indonesian Guest of Honor and Featured Speaker will be Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, H.E. Luhut Pandjaitan, who has been given primary investment responsibility by President Jokowi. Our Indonesian featured speakers are the new Minister of Trade, H.E. Agus Suparmanto, the new Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mahendra Siregar — assigned by President Jokowi to manage Indonesia-US trade issues and advance Indonesia’s economic position, and the new Vice Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, H.E. Kartika Wirjoatmodjo, who has special responsibility for development of the new Indonesian capital city.
We hope you can join us for our 2020 special Gala. Information on the program and gala dinner ticket purchases is below.
6:00 pm: Reception
7:00 pm: Gala Dinner
The Four Seasons Hotel
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007

Dress: Business attire, batik, national dress
Ticket: bit.do/usindogala

General Gala Dinner Tickets
USINDO Member: $125*
USINDO Member Couple: $195*
Non-Member: $175
Non-Member Couple: $275
*Member prices may be used by those who have contributed $120 or more to USINDO’s Annual Fund within the last twelve months

Sponsorship Tickets
Sponsorship Tickets include one dinner seat and a
tax-deductible contribution to USINDO’s programs

Benefactor: $1,500
$1,300 tax-deductible donation to USINDO
Sponsor program acknowledgment
Preferred seating

Patron: $500
$300 tax-deductible donation to USINDO
Preferred seating

Contributor: $300
$100 tax-deductible donation to USINDO

For inquiries, special requests, or sponsorship, please contact Dira Hanifah at (202) 232-1400 or dhanifah@usindo.org, or David Merrill at dmerrill@usindo.org.

USINDO-US Embassy Jakarta Open Forum on: Accelerating the Growth of U.S. - Indonesia Trade and Investment (December 13, 2019)
2019-12-13 13:30 - 15:00 (Asia/Jakarta)
Event Details

Date: Friday, December 13th, 2019

Time: 13:30 – 15:00, (Registration starts at 13:00)

Venue: @america, Pacific Place Mall, Level 3 SCBDJalan Jenderal Sudirman, Kav. 52-53Jakarta Selatan, 12190

During his recent visit to Indonesia in November 2019, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross asserted that U.S.-Indonesia economic relations are underperforming relative to their potential. In 2018, goods trade between U.S. and Indonesia was only $29 billion with a $12.6 billion trade surplus for Indonesia. In contrast, U.S. two-way trade with some of Indonesia’s ASEAN neighbors is twice as much. As a result, Indonesia was the U.S.’s 34th largest export market and 23rd largest import source. Given the size of the two economies, Indonesia’s expanding middle class, strong market demographics, and abundance of natural resources, more needs to be done to expand two-way trade.

Although Indonesia remains attractive for many U.S. investors, it is also a difficult environment in which to navigate, and U.S. businesses experience challenges in doing business. Despite President Jokowi’s continued efforts to attract more FDI, many factors such as a decentralized decision-making process, legal uncertainty, economic nationalism, the role of state-owned or locally-owned enterprises, and powerful domestic vested interests in the private and public sectors create a complex investment climate.Other commonly cited barriers to trade and investment include: foreign ownership restrictions; local content requirements; restrictions or licensing and permit requirements for some imports and exports; and pressure to make substantial long-term investment commitments.

For Indonesia, U.S.-China trade tensions present an opportunity to attract FDI as companies manufacturing goods destined for the U.S. market seek to diversify their supply chains and avoid increased U.S. duties for products manufactured in China. In addition, the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) provided it is kept in force potentially increases Indonesia’s attractiveness for FDI transitioning out of China as the program permits certain goods duty-free entry into the U.S. Approximately 12% of Indonesian exports to the United States benefit from this program. However, many observers agree that to take advantage of shifting supply chains, and resulting trade and investment opportunities, Indonesia needs to move quickly on a reform agenda. President Jokowi has highlighted attracting more investment as a second term priority.

Given the complementarity between the U.S. and Indonesian economies, what are key opportunities and challenges to boost economic relations of the two countries? What government policies can President Jokowi pursue to attract more direct investment in Indonesia? How to grow trade and investment between the two countries in a free, fair, and reciprocal manner?

Our superb panel of three eminent experts on trade and investment will appraise these issues in our December 13 Open Forum, followed by Q and A and discussion.

Please join us for a stimulating discussion on one of the most important dimensions of our two countries’ relations. As seats are limited, please RSVP HERE or email to usindojkt@usindo.org, no later than December 12, 2019 (11:00 hrs) to register your seat. No walk-in entry, please.

Biographical Sketches

Muhammad Lutfi is one of the youngest Indonesians to be appointed Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia (February – October 2014). The appointment shortly came after he ended his term as the Indonesian Ambassador to Japan and Federated States of Micronesia from 2010 to 2013, where he showed his fluency in the art and craft of diplomacy. Ambassador Lutfi helped strengthening the relationship between Indonesia and Japan, by leveraging his previous experience in direct investment matters as Chairman of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) since 2005. Before his tenure in the government, he dedicated his time in nurturing entrepreneurship among young businessmen and chaired the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) in 2001. He received global recognition when the World Economic Forum named him Young Global Leader in 2008. Later in 2014, the Government of Indonesia awarded him the Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana, one of its highest civilian honors. Presently, Ambassador Lutfi is back in the private sector and sits as the President Commissioner/ Chairman of PT Medco Energy Tbk, a public-listed Oil & Gas and integrated energy company in Indonesia, Member of the Board of Directors in Sime Darby Plantation Bhd, a multi-national palm plantation company based in Malaysia, and he also serves as adviser to several global firms. Ambassador Lutfi studied economics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.

Sunny J. Park currently leads the Corporate, External & Legal Affairs (CELA) Department for Microsoft Asia Pacific with a team of professionals across the region. Her responsibilities span a wide variety of cutting edge-issues synonymous with 4th industrial revolution technology, such as Artificial Intelligence and ethics, cybersecurity, privacy, data governance, anti-trust, trade, e-commerce, telecommunication regulations, cloud computing and internet governance, as companies and governments digitally transform. In addition to supporting digital transformation of Microsoft’s customers within the Asia Pacific region, her responsibilities include advancing Microsoft’s IT policy, ensuring regulatory compliance and anti-corruption, and representing Microsoft externally with governments, academia and industry associations.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2010, she practiced law at firms such as Kim & Chang and Jipyoung & Jisung, and has hands-on business experience in the IT industry having served as the Managing Director of Mobile Internet business unit at Locus Technologies.

She is a strong advocate of women’s issues and female leadership and has served in many capacities to advance women’s issues and advancement including as the Chair of Microsoft’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Initiative.

Douglas Ramage is the founding Managing Director of BowerGroupAsia Indonesia and has 30 years experience in Indonesia. He currently also serves as the Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia.

He works with multinational companies and the Indonesian government to find solutions to regulations that reduce Indonesia’s competitiveness, restrict foreign investment opportunities or hinder market entry. He has helped companies overcome business and reputational challenges in Indonesia across diverse sectors, including healthcare, financial services, information technology, fast moving consumer goods, energy, agriculture and heavy industry. He is particularly adept at helping companies craft advocacy efforts so that client companies meet government expectations in ways that are simultaneously commercially viable and help advance Indonesia’s growth and development.

Mr. Ramage previously worked in several senior Indonesia-based roles, including in the Australian development program (AusAID), the World Bank and The Asia Foundation. He holds a PhD from the University of South Carolina and has also studied at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Maryland.
