Jakarta - Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), Anindya Novyan Bakrie, attended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia–Indonesia Roundtable Meeting held at the St. Regis Hotel, South Jakarta, on Friday, April 17.

The event carried the theme “Building Strategic Industrial Partnerships Towards Sustainable Growth.”

Anindya, often called Anin, welcomed the forum as a concrete step toward strengthening economic and industrial ties between the two countries.

"Participants came from a wide range of sectors, including automotive, mining, food, petrochemicals, technology, and education. This reflects the serious commitment from both sides to build connectivity and real collaboration," Anin stated.

He highlighted the strong people-to-people connection already in place through annual religious pilgrimages, with nearly one million Indonesians traveling to Saudi Arabia each year.

"Saudi Arabia and Indonesia share a high degree of connectivity. Why? Because around 800,000 Indonesians perform Umrah every year, and approximately 200,000 go for Hajj. That’s a significant number of people visiting Saudi Arabia," he explained.

This strong foundation, Anin added, is a valuable asset for expanding bilateral cooperation into the economic domain.

"Saudi exports to Indonesia are valued at around USD 4 billion, while Indonesia's exports to Saudi Arabia are approximately USD 3 billion. But the goal is not just to balance the trade, but to grow it significantly—potentially reaching USD 17 to 27 billion in the future," he said.

One of the key discussions revolved around opportunities for collaboration in industrializing the mining sector.

Anin proposed a shared production model between the two nations to improve efficiency and gain better access to U.S. and European markets.

"We discussed the idea of splitting production—half of the process in Indonesia and half in Saudi Arabia—to open up access to global markets," he explained.

In addition to mining, the roundtable also addressed cooperation in future-facing sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), the halal industry, and digital finance.

"Saudi Arabia, for instance, has invested up to USD 4 billion in intellectual property within the gaming sector. The halal industry was also a major topic. Its potential is tremendous, particularly for ASEAN, Europe, and Central Asia," he added.

Anin also emphasized the importance of collaboration in talent development and workforce upskilling, noting that between 4 to 5 million Indonesians are currently employed in Saudi Arabia.

He described the roundtable as a starting point toward a more structured partnership, potentially leading to a state visit by President Prabowo Subianto to Saudi Arabia in the near future.

"The government opens diplomatic channels, ministers handle the technical discussions, but the implementation on the ground is the responsibility of Kadin and its members—ranging from private companies and state-owned enterprises to cooperatives and MSMEs," Anin asserted.

He also noted a shift in Saudi Arabia’s approach to international engagement.

"There has been a change in style from Saudi Arabia. They are now more proactive. This may be influenced by the progressive leadership style of Crown Prince MBS (Mohammed bin Salman)," he concluded.

The meeting was also attended by several prominent figures, including Bernardino M. Vega, Vice Chairman of Kadin Indonesia for International Affairs; Rifda Ammarina, Vice Chairwoman for Marketing, Promotion, Innovation, and MSME Product Development; and two high-ranking officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, and Vice Minister for Mining Affairs, Khalid Al-Mudaifer.