Indonesia to exclude books, films from ban on imported products in e-commerce: minister

INDONESIA will exclude books, films, software and music from its ban on imported products below US$100 on e-commerce platforms, a senior minister said on Wednesday (Nov 1).

Indonesia since September has banned imports of any product worth below US$100 via e-commerce platforms. The exceptions for certain goods, such as books and films, will soon be issued by the trade ministry, Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement.

The South-east Asia’s nation, with its tech-savvy population of more than 270 million, is a major market for regional e-commerce firms such as Sea’s Shopee and Alibaba’s Lazada.

The measure also came after Indonesia banned e-commerce transactions on social media platforms in September, a major blow to short video app TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance. REUTERS