Enviro News Asia, New York — Indonesia’s national news agency ANTARA is preparing to strengthen its presence in the United States as part of efforts to expand information exchange and deepen communication cooperation between Indonesia and the United States.
The plan was discussed during a meeting between Indonesian Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutia Hafid and Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Indroyono Soesilo in New York on September 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, Meutia outlined ANTARA’s plan to establish a representative office in the United States. The presence is expected to expand the distribution of information about Indonesia to American audiences while providing Indonesian audiences with timely, accurate and balanced coverage of developments in Indonesia-US cooperation.
The planned office also carries historical significance for ANTARA, which was established on December 13, 1937, by Adam Malik, Soemanang, A.M. Sipahoetar and Pandoe Kartawigoena.
During the colonial period, ANTARA served as a news agency that provided an Indonesian perspective amid the dominance of colonial narratives. On August 17, 1945, ANTARA played a role in disseminating news of Indonesia’s Proclamation of Independence to various parts of the country and the international community.
Since 1962, ANTARA has officially operated as Indonesia’s national news agency.
Today, ANTARA provides news, photographs, videos and multimedia information through a nationwide network of bureaus and partnerships with international news agencies. It currently operates three overseas bureaus in Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and London.
The establishment of a US representative office would further expand ANTARA’s international network into a country that serves as a major center for diplomacy, business, technology, education and global media.
Ambassador Indroyono welcomed the plan, saying an ANTARA presence in the United States could strengthen coverage of political, economic, social and cultural cooperation, as well as people-to-people relations between the two countries.
The potential coverage extends to the populations of both countries and international audiences. Indonesia and the United States recorded around US$43 billion in trade in goods and services in 2025, with Indonesia posting a surplus of approximately US$19 billion, according to the material presented at the meeting.
Indonesian products with a strong presence in the US market include electrical and electronic equipment, garments, footwear, vegetable oils and fats including palm oil products, rubber products, machinery, furniture and fisheries products.
Stories behind these products — including the experiences of workers, small businesses, manufacturing innovation and sustainability standards — could provide opportunities for ANTARA to develop extensive and continuing feature coverage.
Education is another area with significant potential for bilateral coverage. Around 8,348 Indonesian students were enrolled at universities in the United States during the 2023/2024 academic year, according to the material presented at the meeting.
The figure made Indonesia the second-largest source of international students from Southeast Asia in the United States.
The experiences of Indonesian students, researchers, alumni and diaspora communities could provide a human dimension to the broader Indonesia-US partnership.
With a representative office in the United States, ANTARA would have the opportunity to expand beyond event-based reporting and develop coverage that highlights the people, institutions and communities connecting Indonesia and the United States. (*)
