By Finance Outlook India Team
As the American tech giant tries to persuade the government to lift its sales restriction on the iPhone 16, Indonesia is scheduled to evaluate a $100 million investment proposal from Apple Inc.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Industry of the largest country in Southeast Asia revealed that it had accepted Apple's most recent investment offer, which calls for the construction of a manufacturing facility to create components and accessories. The idea will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday with its minister, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who in October had vetoed the permission authorizing the sale of the iPhone 16.
According to the ministry spokesperson, Febri Hendri Antoni Arif, the meeting "means that the industry minister welcomes Apple's investment commitment."
Following an initial offer of about $10 million to reverse the sale ban, the statement verified a previous Bloomberg News report that Apple had nearly tenfold boosted its offer to invest in Indonesi
Since the local branch of the US tech business failed to meet the 40% domestic content criteria for smartphones and tablets, the Indonesian government banned the sale of the iPhone 16. Authorities claim that Apple has fallen short of its 1.7 trillion rupiah pledge by investing only 1.5 trillion rupiah (about $95 million) in the country through developer academies. Due to a similar lack of investment, Alphabet Inc.'s Google Pixel phones are no longer sold in Indonesia.
As new President Prabowo Subianto aims to persuade foreign companies to increase local manufacturing, which would benefit domestic businesses, the restrictions are the most recent instance of Indonesia playing hardball. In an effort to protect its retail industry from low-cost Chinese goods, Indonesia last year established legislation requiring ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok to separate its shopping component from the well-known video-scrolling site.
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