Bahlil bans mineral and LNG exports via transit countries
The Energy Ministry is told to ship commodities directly to China, Japan and Korea so taxes and trade records stay with Indonesia.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia ordered Indonesian energy and mineral commodities to be exported directly to buyer countries, without transiting through intermediary nations. He delivered the instruction at the opening of Minerba Convex 2026 in Jakarta on Monday (2/11/2026), and it applies to mining output and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Bahlil said shipments to China should leave Indonesia directly for the final destination, rather than stop first for changes to paperwork or export-origin stamps. For LNG, he also asked that shipments to Japan and South Korea be sent without passing through other countries.
According to Bahlil, such transit patterns allow the stopover country to collect tax revenue and record trade figures, even though the commodities come from Indonesia. He did not name the countries involved, but asked the relevant director general and SKK Migas to oversee the policy's implementation.