Jakarta. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to host President Prabowo Subianto later this week as both leaders seek to beef up trade ties.

This will be the first time for Prabowo to set foot on the close neighbor’s soil during his presidency, which recently hit its one-year mark. The trip comes about six months after Albanese made Jakarta his first foreign stop after securing a second term. Prabowo is expected to depart from Jakarta on Tuesday before meeting Albanese the following day.

“Mr. Albanese has invited Mr. Prabowo on a state visit, which is slated for Nov. 12 [Wednesday] if there are no changes. Some topics include how we both can improve our economic partnership,” Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.

He added: “The leaders will discuss how we can bolster the existing cooperation, including our people-to-people contact.” 

World’s largest lithium producer, Australia, has stated that it was hoping to be Indonesia’s supplier for the silvery-white metal. Lithium is key to producing the batteries used to power electric vehicles (EVs). Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said in August that Indonesia was looking to buy Australian lithium, citing its cheaper transportation costs. The Jakarta Globe asked Sugiono whether the upcoming Albanese-Prabowo talks would touch on lithium cooperation, to which the chief diplomat neither confirmed nor denied. 

“Bilateral talks at the level of heads of state are usually general topics. For instance, economic cooperation, just like what I have said earlier,” Sugiono said.

Prabowo will immediately return to Jakarta as Jordanian King Abdullah II will be coming to Jakarta on Friday.

Government data showed Indonesia-Australia trade reached around $9.7 billion in the January-September 2025 period. This marks a slower pace of commerce activities compared to the same nine-month period of 2024, during which trade totaled nearly $11.5 billion. Investment inflows from Australia into Indonesia topped $141.3 million in Q1 2025.

Prabowo’s visit came amidst plans to review the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This trade pact, which has both countries significantly slashing their tariffs on each other’s goods, already came into effect in July 2020. This general review aims to make sure that the agreement remains fit for purpose.

Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto said earlier this year that talks were underway to “include critical mineral cooperation" in the CEPA framework, signaling the review could pave the way for Australian lithium imports. According to the 2025 US Geological Survey report, Australian mines produced an estimated 88,000 metric tons of lithium throughout last year. The country’s lithium reserves totaled 7 million metric tons.

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