PH LOSES OUT TO INDONESIA IN HOSTING US FIRMS LEAVING CHINA

Indonesia is clearing up 4,000 hectares of land in Central Java to host U.S. companies planning to relocate from China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and a debilitating trade war between the two countries, an Indonesian official told Anadolu Agency on May 16, 2020.

In a May 16, 2020 story written by Pizaro Gozali, Dandy Koswaraputra and Umar Idrus for the Turkish news service, they quoted Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as saying the plan was a follow-up of a phone call between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump but did not reveal the names of the U.S. companies pulling out of China.

On April 25, Trump reportedly discussed with Widodo his plans to purchase ventilators and possibly invest in the country, especially for pharmaceuticals, days later, Trump also called up Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss a “collaborative effort” against the pandemic even as critics maintained the topic was Trump’s confirming that the U.S. was selling Apache and Viper helicopter gunships to the Philippines in a deal that could drain the Philippine economy of $2-billion in the midst of the pandemic.

In the first quarter of 2020, a total of $141 billion was invested in Indonesia, of which more than 46% was foreign investment, according to the country's investment body BKPM. Vietnam and the Philippines are also eyeing to host the U.S. as well as Japanese pulling out of China, with Tokyo saying some firms have already left Beijing led by a company that manufactures surgical masks.