Indonesia to lift US imports as part of tariffs talks: minister
Data from the US trade representative office shows Washington’s goods trade deficit with Jakarta stood at US$17.9 billion in 2024
[JAKARTA] Indonesia is considering boosting its US imports as it tries to narrow its trade surplus with the country as part of upcoming negotiations with Washington, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said.
The 32 per cent tariffs imposed on Indonesia made it one of Asia’s hardest hit by Donald Trump’s sweeping measures that have sent shockwaves around the world.
Data from the US trade representative office shows Washington’s goods trade deficit with Jakarta stood at US$17.9 billion in 2024, up 5.4 per cent on-year.
“Indonesia will purchase goods from America according to Indonesia’s needs,” Airlangga told reporters on Monday (Apr 14).
He said last week that Jakarta would buy more products such as liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas to close the gap with the economic powerhouse, which is one of Indonesia’s top trading partners.
Airlangga said he and other high-ranking Indonesian officials, including Foreign Minister Sugiono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, will head to Washington for meetings with their US counterparts from Apr 16 to Apr 23.
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He added that they will hold talks with key members of Trump’s team, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Indonesia is one of the countries that had the first opportunity to be invited to Washington,” Airlangga said.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said last week that Indonesia would adjust import taxes on some commodities from 2.5 to 0.5 per cent, including mobile phones and laptops.
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Other products, including US steel and medical equipment, would be granted lower import duties of zero to five per cent, down from 5 to 10 per cent, she said. AFP
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