New Books Network: Infrastructure, Nickel, and the Politics of Polyalignment in Indonesia

In this episode of the Second Cold War Observatory Podcast, Trissia Wijaya discusses her book titled The Political Economy of Japanese and Chinese Infrastructure Financing Governance (Bristol University Press, 2025). Her research on the political economy of Chinese and Japanese infrastructure financing in Indonesia situates infrastructure finance within Indonesia’s own development strategies. This podcast episode also links these dynamics to the country’s changing industrial policy, from energy infrastructure to nickel processing to the planned capital of Nusantara, asking how Indonesia uses strategies of polyalignment and foreign finance to pursue its own developmental ambitions.

This episode was produced by NYSEAN Partner, the New Books Network.