Indonesia’s US$1.67 billion China-backed dam is in limbo. Why?

After deadly floods and landslides swept through Sumatra last year, Indonesia’s government has moved to revoke permits blamed for damaging forests – ensnaring a flagship China-backed hydropower project and rattling investor confidence in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing renewable energy markets. The decision, unveiled last month by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, has been welcomed by environmental groups as a long-awaited show of teeth. But it has also raised questions about...