Trade partners: City dwellers thronged Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and Jalan M.H Thamrin in Jakarta. A high-ranking delegation is in Washington for tariff talks, aimed at reducing the 32% tariff placed on Indonesian goods. — Bernama
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government vows to trade with China as usual after Beijing warned other countries against striking tariff deals with the United States at China’s expense.
Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, director-general of international trade negotiations at the Trade Ministry, said that “Indonesia will trade as usual with all trading partners, both in traditional and non-traditional markets”.
He said the government’s commitment to upholding the principles of multilateral trade by supporting fair and transparent trade practices, while opposing protectionism and discrimination.
“China as Indonesia’s key trading partner upholds similar principles, hence both parties, along with other trading partners, will respect each other’s rights and obligations in ensuring a rules-based international trading system,” he said.
As Indonesia’s top trading partner, China accounted for nearly a quarter of Indonesian exports last year.
Meanwhile, the United States was second, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
In a press conference on Monday, Djatmiko also said Indonesia remained committed to not taking retaliatory measures against the United States tariff policy.
He added that Indonesia would seek to maintain “good trade relations” with all trading partners and resolve any issues through diplomacy and negotiations.
Earlier, China warned other countries, which are negotiating with the United States in a bid to convince Washington to lift tariffs imposed on their exports, not to “appease” the US by making any deals at Beijing’s expense.
“Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not be respected,” a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry was quoted by AFP as saying.
“To seek one’s own temporary selfish interests at the expense of others’ interests is to seek the skin of a tiger,” Beijing said, adding that it “will ultimately fail on both ends and harm others”.
Beijing has stated that it is opposed to any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests, saying that “if such a situation occurs, China will never accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures”.
China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has called on Indonesia to oppose “any form” of unilateralism and trade protectionism, urging the two sides to jointly accelerate regional economic integration and maintain the stability of the industrial supply chain, Reuters reported on Monday.
Wang Yi also said that China was willing to import more Indonesian products, describing the two countries as “defenders of economic globalisation and free trade”.
Jakarta sent a high-ranking delegation to Washington for tariff talks from April 16 to 23, aimed at reducing the 32% tariff placed on Indonesian goods following President Trump’s latest round of global tariff measures.
While suspended for 90 days to allow for bilateral negotiations, the tariffs, which Washington calls “reciprocal”, loom over global trade and have roiled financial markets. A 10% “baseline” tariff introduced earlier this month and enforced on almost all US imports from any country remains in place.
Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said during a press conference last Friday that both sides had agreed that the negotiations, set to complete within 60 days, would include investment and trade relations, critical minerals and the development of a reliable supply chain corridor.
“The plan will be followed up through one to three rounds of meetings, and we hope it will result in an agreed deal format within the 60-day timeline,” he said.
The government revealed that Indonesia proposed increasing its imports from the United States by as much as US$19bil, including around US$10bil of energy imports, to eliminate its trade surplus with Washington. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
