President Joko Widodo, who has secured his second term in office, is embarking on a more than $400 billion infrastructure push. The government wants to re-position Batam as an alternative shipping and manufacturing hub to Singapore with a potential to draw US$60 billion in new investment.
(July 12): Indonesia plans to start building its longest sea bridge next year to connect two islands near Singapore and boost growth and trade with the neighbouring hub.
The seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) bridge connecting Batam and Bintan will cost as much as 4 trillion rupiah ($284 million) and construction is set to take three to four years, the country’s cabinet secretariat said in a statement on Thursday.
