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How Chinese companies are reshaping Indonesia
They are fleeing cut-throat competition at home.
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Chinese brands dominate the EV market in Indonesia, with some like Wuling making its cars in the country. Its DarionEV (above) was among those featured at a 2026 motor show in Jakarta.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Economist
When Mr Donny Zhang first visited Indonesia from China as a venture capitalist in 2015, he was amazed by how curious regulators were about Alipay, one of China’s most successful online-payment apps.
In 2021, he co-founded Yup, a similar app for working-class Indonesians (who are often ill served by local banks). Indonesia was an appealing place to start a business, says Mr Zhang. It is a big emerging market, it is not too far from China and almost everyone has a smartphone.
