JAKARTA: Indonesia expects to secure preferential access to the United States market below the proposed 19 per cent reciprocal tariff, following the conclusion of trade negotiations between the two countries.
Indonesia’s Presidential Special Envoy for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation Mari Pangestu told CNA the deal reflects a more balanced approach to trade and investment ties, allowing Indonesia to gain greater access to the US market while addressing long-standing concerns over trade imbalances.
“Some of the issues that we had to try to deal with in the negotiations was to make sure there’s balance, that it was not just unilateral,” she said on Tuesday (Feb 3).
“That’s been, I think, somewhat achieved. So, it’s not just us giving market access and agreeing to purchase US goods, which is to address the issue of the deficit, but to also get market access to the US for the products that are important to us.”
The former Indonesian trade minister spoke to CNA on the sidelines of the Indonesia Economic Summit 2026 in Jakarta.
DEAL AWAITS SIGNING
On Tuesday, Indonesia’s Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto said negotiations on the tariff deal with the US have been completed, with only the signing by the two presidents pending scheduling.
Speaking after a keynote address at the summit, Airlangga said talks were “fully complete”, but declined to reveal details, citing a nondisclosure agreement following a preliminary handshake deal reached last July.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-united-states-deal-tariff-presidential-trade-envoy-market-access-multilateral-order-5905841
