Trump Mau Tembaga RI, Bos Freeport: It Took 45 Days For Shipping

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, Tony Wenas said that sending copper from Indonesia to the United States (US) takes 45 days.

Meanwhile, shipments to China only took 7 days.

The statement was in response to US President Donald Trump's desire for full access to Indonesian mining products such as copper, to critical mineral products, such as rare soil.

Currently, said Tony, China is indeed the main market for the export of mining products produced by the Freeport smelter.

"We haven't sold it to America all this time. Most of it goes to China. To move the market, if to America it's far away, 45 days. If you go to China, it's only 7 days of stuffing," he said in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 16.

According to Tony, demand for copper by the US cannot be done suddenly. This is because Freeport cannot immediately increase production capacity.

"If we are in the mine, we can't if oh there is a demand, we increase production capacity. It's not like that," he said.

The reason, continued Tony, is because the mining industry is not like other manufacturing industries, where when there is a demand it can increase production capacity by immediately.

Tony said PTFI already has a mining plan by taking into account environmental power, availability to security factors.

"This has been planned for a long time. Like large manufacturing, there is a lot of demand, okay, we increase production, buy raw materials, we increase production. This is our raw material from within the ground, so it must be in accordance with the plan and underground mining. Not then speeded up or rushed, it must be sequences," he explained.

According to Tony, the traditional market for Indonesian mining commodities that have been built so far does not need to be moved.

"Why should the majority move? That's right. If you have to, why? If we are international trade. Trade is borderless where there is a market, that's it," he said.