Foxconn looking to expand in Indonesia

"There is no investment plan right now. Building a 10 billion, 1 billion factory, there is no such plan," said Foxconn spokesman Simon Hsing in an interview on Wednesday.

The maker of Apple's iPhone and iPad could invest as much as US$10 billion to build facilities in the country according to news reports. Foxconn already has factories in China and Brazil that manufacture many of the world's electronics for export to other countries.

The company, however, is still evaluating what kind of opportunities Indonesia can provide the company, Hsing said.

"They (Indonesia's government officials) are really hoping that Foxconn will invest," he said. "Foxconn is in Brazil, China and India, but it has no investment in Indonesia. The officials really hope that we can bring a lot of projects to the country."

While Foxconn has built factories to export products to the rest of the world, the company would likely use a different manufacturing model for Indonesia, Hsing said. Instead, Foxconn would target its investment to build electronics for Indonesia's domestic market, selling the products to local consumers with the help of a partner.

Indonesia, one of the world's largest countries, has almost 250 million people. "The country doesn't have a major electronics high tech industry, that's why the government officials want us to go there," Hsing added.

The talks first began when Indonesian government officials approached Foxconn, a month or two ago, about establishing an investment in the country. Hsing said it could be another month or even until the end of the year, when the company has a clearer plan for Indonesia.

Indonesian government officials could not be immediately reached for comment.