Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto revealed that he had secured business deals worth $18.5 billion so far from his first-ever foreign trip, an amount he said was beyond his expectations.

Prabowo -- who has just passed the one-month mark in office -- is currently on a multi-nation tour. He departed on Nov. 8 and has yet to come home ever since. 

Prabowo’s overseas trip began in Beijing. Indonesian and Chinese companies sealed $10 billion worth of deals in sectors spanning food security, renewable energy, and mining industrialization, among others. Prabowo then headed to the US and flew to Peru afterward for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting before heading to the G20 Brazil Summit. He touched down in London on Wednesday local time. Aside from meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he also saw the executives of some British large corporations. 

According to Prabowo, these British investors have pledged to invest $8.5 billion in Indonesia. Some $7 billion of those commitments comes from BP. The British oil and gas giant has agreed to invest in a gas recovery project in West Papua, which could unlock 3 trillion cubic feet of additional gas resources.

“[The business deals that we have sealed so far] are somewhat beyond my expectations. I will go home with $18.5 billion worth of deals. This proves how the world trusts the Indonesian economy,” Prabowo told reporters in London.

The ex-army general added: "Of course, we have to be more careful. We are a very clean government. These [investors] really appreciate our ethics.”

Prabowo met with American businessmen during his Washington visit, many of whom represented organizations that have long invested in Indonesia. This includes mining giant Freeport and energy company Chevron. Prabowo did not close any new American investment commitments. But he had told these American senior executives to report directly straight to him if they encountered any public corruption in Indonesia. The 73-year-old politician also promised APEC investors more incentives and a favorable investment climate.

Official government figures show that China is Indonesia’s third-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in January-September 2024. FDI inflows from China totaled $5.8 billion. The UK has invested $611.5 million in Indonesia over the said period.

Prabowo will wrap up his world tour with a visit to Abu Dhabi. He is set to return to Jakarta this weekend. 

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