Southeast Asia’s first high-speed train in Purwakarta, Indonesia, in September.
Photographer: Xu Qin/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Linking 17,000 Islands in Indonesia Tests a Nation on the Rise
President Joko Widodo has vastly expanded Indonesia’s infrastructure. But debt is soaring at state-run builders, prompting questions about the speed of construction.
The key to unlocking the potential of the world’s largest archipelago is connecting more than 17,000 islands in Southeast Asia with an extensive network of airports, trains and toll roads.
That was the grand vision of Indonesian President Joko Widodo when he took office a decade ago, earmarking almost $800 billion for an infrastructure-building push that’s dwarfed the outlay of far bigger economies.