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US committed to promoting investment growth in Batam: Ambassador
US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O
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U
S Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O. Blake said the US government was committed to encouraging private parties from the country to invest in Batam, Riau Islands.
He expressed this commitment during the visit of a delegation of 12 US companies and business associations to the province, Thursday.
During the visit, Blake held a closed-door meeting with Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) chairman Mustofa Widjaja, Batam mayor Ahmad Dahlan and representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) and the Riau Islands-chapter Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) in Batam on Thursday.
Mustofa said along with what had been committed by the US government, a number of leading US companies had realized investments in Batam during the last several years.
He said during the closed-door meeting, Blake had expressed the country's full commitment to promoting further economic growth in Batam by, among others things, encouraging its private sector to invest more in the special economic zone.
'PT McDermott is the pioneer American company in Batam and has been investing here since the 1970s. During the meeting, Blake conveyed his appreciation to BPK FTZ for its investment services. They said they were committed to pushing the US private sector to continue investing here,' said Mustofa.
Among US companies recently investing in Batam are GE Electric and Caterpillar.
'American companies have got larger opportunities to invest in Batam with the rapid growth of the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry in the area. The MRO industry has kept American investors attracted to investing in Batam,' said Mustofa.
According to BPK FTZ data, the total amount of US investment generated by 11 companies in Batam has reached US$5.3 billion, placing it sixth of countries with the largest investment in the area.
Batam has 588 foreign investment companies, mostly in the electronic manufacturing sector. Of the total, 410 companies are from Singapore, followed by Malaysia with 52, Taiwan with 23, South Korea with 19, while the remaining 84 companies are from other countries. (ebf)(+++)
