Book excerpt: On the cusp of 2014 national elections and the 2015 integration of the ASEAN Economic Community, Indonesia is poised to continue its rapid economic expansion. While the country’s natural resources are still plentiful, by channelling foreign direct investment into the right areas, the government is ensuring that true potential, in terms of value and manufacturing, is achieved. By inviting targeted investment and adapting existing regulatory frameworks, the government has taken significant steps to facilitate foreign investment and the development of value-added industries. Indonesia is a country renowned for its abundance of natural resources, which include oil, gas, coal, nickel, tin, copper, gold and silver. While slightly down on the previous year, the country’s total oil production for 2012 stood at 861,000 barrels per day, accounting for approximately 1.2% of the world’s oil production. Indonesia remains the world’s largest exporter of thermal coal, exporting a total of 304m tonnes in 2012 to countries such as Japan, South Korea, China and India. The country continues to be the dominant nation in South-east Asia politically and economically, and its participation within ASEAN in particular will likely determine the shape of regional integration, with the introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 looming as the bloc’s next major milestone.