Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to elevate bilateral ties later this year as both nations aim to trade more with each other.

When the two leaders met in London last November, they agreed to pursue a “deeper strategic partnership” in 2025. The G20 nations found that such a framework would be necessary should they want to have trade grow to a level commensurate with the size of their economies. Amanda McLoughlin, the UK’s international development director for Indonesia, recently told reporters that the launch would likely take place in September, but both sides were still finalizing the date and the document.

“So [this new partnership] is about [working together] on climate, energy, trade, economic growth, defense, as well as security. Those are the broad themes, and now we are doing the groundwork to put all of the details into that agreement,” McLoughlin said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The Jakarta Globe asked McLoughlin whether that meant Starmer would be making a state visit to Indonesia for the launch. She said that the ceremony was something that could take place “somewhere in the world, whether it is Indonesia or elsewhere”. McLoughlin also commented on the likelihood of a UK-Danantara partnership as Jakarta tries to woo foreign partners into co-investing with this freshly minted fund.

“We would love to. We are still exploring how that [Danantara] might make sense. That’s something that we are definitely excited about and interested in, so watch this space,” McLoughlin said. 

In 2024, Indonesia-UK trade reached the highest levels in the past five years, amounting to almost $2.8 billion. Indonesia’s surplus also soared from $353.1 million in 2023 to $812.2 million the following year, government data showed. In other words, Indonesia is earning more in its international trade with the UK. Official figures also revealed that the UK had invested $149.7 million in Indonesia in the first three months of 2025. The money went to 2,239 projects. 

Saving the planet from global warming is also set to be another key part of the soon-to-be-launched partnership, according to McLoughlin. The UK has launched some assistance to help the coal-reliant Indonesia cut its emissions. Most recently, London unveiled a program -- worth approximately £4.4 million or nearly $6 million -- to assist Indonesia’s government buildings in becoming more energy-efficient.

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