The Trump Tariff Of 32 Percent Is Not Yet Finalized, And Indonesia Continues To Lobby The United States

The Indonesian government has stated that the United States' (US) decision to impose a 32 percent import tariff on Indonesian products is not yet final.

Haryo Limanseto, the spokesperson for the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, explained that there is still room for further negotiations, and the Indonesian government has the opportunity to continue discussions to potentially reduce the tariff burden.

"Therefore, from that letter, we believe that we still have a chance to engage in further discussions. Additionally, the US has indicated that they will respond, so this (tariff) is not final," Haryo said during a media briefing at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday.

As is well known, U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to maintain an import tariff of 32 percent on Indonesia, unchanged from the "reciprocal tariff" value announced earlier in April, despite the ongoing intensive negotiations with Indonesian officials.

According to Haryo, the U.S. government also hopes that Indonesia will not take similar retaliatory measures, thereby keeping the opportunities for negotiations open and mutually beneficial.

"They (the U.S.) hope that Indonesia will not raise tariffs as well. This means that the (negotiations) are still open; they also desire a positive response from us, and we certainly hope to achieve a better deal," Haryo explained.

Currently, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, who is leading the Indonesian negotiation team, is in Washington DC to continue the negotiation process. Airlangga is scheduled to meet with several high-ranking US officials, including Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Head of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

"Given that there is still room to respond as conveyed by the US Government, the Indonesian Government will optimize the available opportunities to safeguard national interests moving forward," Haryo emphasized.

Although negotiations with the US are ongoing, the government remains focused on enhancing exports to non-US markets. Haryo stated that 90 percent of Indonesia's trade market originates from markets outside the US. Therefore, there are still opportunities to boost exports to other countries.

While negotiations are ongoing, the government is promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries that are more trade-friendly.

"Therefore, the opportunity to enhance exports to other nations while we discuss the ideal tariffs for ourselves and the US is very much open," he stated.

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