U.S. Lighting Company Joins Shift From China on Higher Tariffs

(Bloomberg) -- Alpan Lighting Products, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of solar lamps, is shifting production from China to Indonesia, joining droves of companies looking to escape higher tariffs triggered by the trade war with the U.S.

PT CDS Asia, a unit of Alpan, will invest $14 million to build a factory in an industrial zone in Central Java, Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board said in a statement. The export-oriented facility is scheduled to begin production later this year and may employee 3,500 people, it said.

Alpan decided to move its factory from Xiamen because of a 25% tariff on exports, compared with zero charges in Indonesia, the board’s investment promotion officer, Ikmal Lukman, said in the statement. The U.S. company is among seven foreign businesses relocating from China to Indonesia, with a combined investment of $850 million, according to the board.

Indonesia is trying to attract companies seeking to relocate from China after Southeast Asia’s largest economy was overlooked by firms shifting during the peak of the U.S.-China trade war. President Joko Widodo this week promised potential foreign investors a hassle-free approval process and inexpensive land, gas and other facilities if they chose to move there.

Read: Why Indonesia Misses Out as Companies Move From China

Jokowi, as the president is commonly known, has ordered officials to ensure there was no repeat of companies bypassing the country as they did a year ago during the seismic shift in global-supply chains triggered by the trade spat. None of the 33 global companies that relocated from China chose Indonesia, the president cited a World Bank study as saying.

More Investors

The investment board is actively pursuing proposals from 17 foreign companies that have shown interest in relocating to Indonesia from China, Lukman said. The country is offering 4,000 hectares to potential investors in an industrial estate in Batang in Central Java, which is close to a deep-sea port, an international airport and has toll-road connectivity.

Indonesia has lagged neighbors Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore in drawing foreign investment. The reasons for the poor performance are well documented: inadequate infrastructure, particularly in transport; rigid labor rules; limits on how much foreigners can invest in several industries and bureaucratic red tape.

The Alpan investment is “a clear proof that Indonesia can compete with China,” Lukman said. “We are optimistic that in the future there will be many other foreign investors who will relocate their investment to Indonesia.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.