natural resources
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China’s Nickel Empire: The Hidden Costs of Green Tech and AI Ambitions in Indonesia
China’s drive to dominate the green-tech and AI supply chains has turned Indonesia into one of the world’s leading producers of nickel. Industrial growth has brought jobs and improved local infrastructure, but it has also accelerated deforestation, excreted waste into rivers, and harmed the livelihood of traditional communities. The transformation…
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Neo-Colonialism and the Entrenchment of Palm Oil Exploitation in Indonesia
In July 2025, Indonesia transferred 400,000 hectares of seized plantation land to a state-owned palm oil company. Just weeks earlier, President Prabowo Subianto urged the country to expand palm oil production without worrying about deforestation. At first glance, this may seem like a routine economic decision to support a key…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 