Jakarta. The US is pursuing a partnership on Indonesian critical minerals, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington’s Independence Day congratulatory message to Jakarta.

As Indonesia marks its 81st year of independence, the resource-rich nation has drawn best wishes from countless foreign governments, including the US. 

Rubio said the bilateral “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Indonesia reflected the depth of their cooperation, spanning defense, regional security, energy, technology, and even a “fair and balanced trade”. The statement revealed the sort of partnership that Washington had in mind with Indonesia for years to come.

“The US looks forward to creating new avenues of opportunity for our nations in priority areas such as critical minerals, maritime security, and the digital economy,” Rubio said on Monday.

Rubio did not go into detail on the critical minerals.

He ended his message by extending “deepest condolences” over the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that recently struck the island of Flores.

The Donald Trump 2.0 administration has shown interest in Indonesian minerals, including copper, a key metal in defense.

A US reciprocal trade agreement that Jakarta clinched in February also included articles dedicated to critical minerals. The document had committed Jakarta to removing “export restrictions” on critical minerals and facilitating American investments in this field. 

Washington is also helming an international initiative — the “Pax Silica" — which aims to build a secure silicon supply chain from critical minerals to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto signaled last month that Indonesia was looking to join Pax Silica, saying that "a process is underway". At the time, Airlangga was responding to a question about whether Indonesia’s membership in the China-led alliance WAICO meant Jakarta had picked sides in the AI race.

At home, Indonesia is trying to exert greater state control over its critical minerals. Aside from a one-gate export policy, the country is planning to launch a mineral bourse by early 2027 to establish benchmark prices. Indonesia is abundant in nickel, copper, among others.

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