Jakarta (ANTARA) - Investment in oil and gas could be a potential entry point for Indonesian companies in the United States, according to Deputy Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, Todotua Pasaribu.

He made the statement on the heels of the government's plan to encourage state-owned companies to invest in the US as part of negotiations to address the 32 percent import tariff imposed by the US on Indonesian goods.

"One of the strategic commodities is oil and gas. We look at the business line-up, actually some of our investments abroad have already happened, including in the oil and gas industry through a subsidiary of (state-owned) Pertamina, but we will see what the strategy is like," he said here on Monday.

The fact that a number of state-owned companies have experience investing abroad can be a strategic basis for market expansion to the US, he added.

Pasaribu informed that the investment can be carried out in several steps, starting from oil and gas well acquisitions to upstream activities and midstream activities, such as offshore refinery development.

He also emphasized that Indonesia's foreign investment strategy, including for the US, will be more flexible with the establishment of the Danantara Investment Management Agency.

Besides oil and gas, the information technology sector is also on the radar for potential investment.

According to Pasaribu, investing in IT-based companies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), in the US can provide strategic benefits for the development of national research and innovation.

"It could also be that IT can also be used to develop our research and development in the future. Why do not we invest, for example, in an AI company abroad? That is strategic because by investing, we can actually get a return on our future research and development," he expounded.

Although he did not reveal which companies will be involved in the investment plan, he said that the investment model under consideration may involve a combination of direct investment and strategic partnerships.