Indonesia’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, announced that the Indonesian government and the United States (U.S.) are still in the stage of further discussions regarding the U.S.’s interest in Indonesia’s critical minerals. According to Bahlil, there has been no official decision yet on the continuation of the matter.

The U.S.’s request for full access to Indonesia’s critical minerals is one of the points included in the Indonesia-U.S. agreement during reciprocal tariff negotiations.

“It’s still just talk. Still in the lobbying phase,” Bahlil said when asked about the progress on the U.S. request for full access to Indonesia’s critical minerals, Monday (Aug 11, 2025).

Regarding the downstreaming program, Bahlil stressed that Indonesia’s mineral downstreaming policy is open and applies equal treatment to all countries. This means no country will receive special treatment.

“Downstreaming is a priority program of the President. It offers equal opportunities to all countries. Whether it’s China, Japan, the United States, or Europe, they will all be treated the same. We will handle them and give them the same opportunities. So, there will be no special treatment,” he emphasized.

Previously, Bahlil also reiterated that any cooperation involving full access to critical minerals must comply with Indonesia’s prevailing regulations. The government is currently promoting downstreaming, meaning that if copper is to be shipped to the U.S., it will not be in raw form but as a processed downstream product.

“In those negotiations, domestic rules will still apply. So, even if we send copper, I will make sure it is in accordance with the regulations. But as far as I know, everything is still within the framework of the rules applicable in our country,” Bahlil stated when met at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jakarta, Friday (July 18, 2025).