JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo met Elon Musk, the company's chief executive, on Saturday May 14 in Texas to discuss potential investments and technology, Indonesia's government said in a statement.
After a round of working-level discussions on potential investments in Indonesia's nickel industry and supply of batteries for electric vehicles, the meeting between Musk and Widodo came to an end, according to Indonesian officials.
Representatives from Tesla were in Indonesia last week for a meeting about a potential battery-related investment, Indonesian officials and two people familiar with the talks said.
Tesla didn't immediately make a statement.
Indonesia is trying to secure a deal with Tesla on battery investment, and possibly for Musk's SpaceX aerospace company.
Jokowi travelled from Washington to meet with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN to meet Musk at the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. He invited the billionaire to visit Indonesia in November.
In November, Jokowi will host a summit of the Group of 20 big economies in Bali. In November, the Indonesian government quoted Musk as saying.
There could be room for partnerships in many things, because Indonesia has a lot of potential, according to Musk.
Indonesia has the world's biggest nickel reserves, and Jokowi is keen to develop a nickel-based EV industry at home - from making nickel metal, to producing battery components and assembling electric vehicles. He has urged Musk to consider a rocket launch site in Indonesia in the past.
The deal over the past month has given new momentum to Jokowi's push to develop an EV related industry at a time when global automakers have been trying to secure battery materials and reduce their reliance on China.
A consortium led by South Korea s LG Energy Solution, the world's No 2 maker of EV batteries, announced plans last month to invest $9 billion in Indonesia as part of a deal that would include everything from nickel refining to battery cells in Indonesia.