The Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya said various Indonesian creative economic subsectors have potential for growth through collaboration with the US across trade, investment, technology, and industry development.
“We are very open to cooperation between Indonesia and the US in various subsectors. The directorates under the ministry are ready to collaborate further with US stakeholders to follow up on the Indonesia-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Harsya said in a statement received here on Thursday.
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The US is a key market for Indonesian creative economy products, he added. Based on the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the country’s creative economy exports to the US reached US$3.31 billion between January and April 2026.
The exports were driven mainly by the fashion subsector at US$2.80 billion, followed by crafts at US$480 million and culinary products at US$15.55 million.
The strong export value highlights ample room to expand the market penetration of Indonesian creative products in the US, while encouraging other subsectors to contribute more significantly.
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In addition to trade, the ministry is also exploring stronger creative industry partnerships with US business players, including a planned Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC).
The agreement spans several strategic areas, including creative economy development, film, television and media production, trade and investment, intellectual property and trademark protection, technology and innovation, and global collaboration.
The MoU is targeted for signing on the sidelines of the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026, set to take place in Jakarta from October 21 to 23, 2026.
Harsya said the forum offers a platform to bring together governments, industry figures, and international stakeholders to drive concrete cooperation in the creative sector.
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Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to the US Dwisuryo Indroyono Soesilo expressed interest in the development of Indonesia’s creative economy, which encompasses 21 subsectors.
“We hope to identify more opportunities for collaboration and develop concrete partnerships to jointly advance the creative economies of both countries,” Soesilo said.
The Indonesia-US creative economy partnerships have been realised through several initiatives, including the US Business for Indonesia: Creative Economy Forum 2025 and a Microsoft-backed digital talent development programme.
The partnerships serve as a foundation for the Ministry of Creative Economy to expand collaborations with the US, especially in supporting Indonesian products, talent, and creative intellectual property to enter global supply chains.
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Translator: Fitra Ashari, Raka Adji
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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