PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Indonesian Minister of Trade Budi Santoso held a virtual bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, on Thursday (August 21). The two ministers discussed trade performance and opportunities to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Budi highlighted Saudi Arabia’s role as one of Indonesia’s strategic trading partners and welcomed the commitment from both sides to strengthen commercial ties.
“Indonesia has a trade representative office in Saudi Arabia that is ready to act as a bridge between businesses from both nations,” Budi said, as quoted by the Ministry of Trade’s official statement.
He added that there is still significant untapped potential to boost bilateral trade. Efforts could include business delegations, trade missions, and greater participation in international trade exhibitions.
“I appreciate Saudi Arabia’s interest in exploring further opportunities. Direct engagement between business players is key to unlocking new prospects,” he noted.
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Minister Al-Kassabi expressed Saudi Arabia’s interest in broadening trade cooperation with Indonesia, stressing that many goods and services still offer strong development potential. To support this, he proposed enhanced information exchange on trade opportunities as an initial step toward expanding collaboration.
Both ministers agreed to continue discussions in greater depth during a planned face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Ministerial Meeting in October 2025, where they expect to establish concrete measures to strengthen bilateral trade.
Indonesia–Saudi Arabia Trade Snapshot
Saudi Arabia ranked as Indonesia’s 18th largest export destination and 12th largest import source in 2024. In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade reached USD 3.2 billion, consisting of USD 1.7 billion in Indonesian exports and USD 1.5 billion in imports.
Throughout 2024, total trade between the two nations stood at USD 6.6 billion, with Indonesia recording USD 2.6 billion in exports and USD 4.4 billion in imports.
Indonesia’s key exports to Saudi Arabia include motor vehicles, palm oil, light vessels, sauces and processed food products, and steel pipes. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s imports from Saudi Arabia are dominated by crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, acyclic alcohols, and sulfur. (P3)
