INDONESIA DELAYS RESPONSE TO US TARIFF POLICY AS TALKS CONTINUE

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, April 3 (Bernama) -- Indonesia has said it requires more time to assess the technical details of the United States’ new tariff policy and its potential economic impact.

The delay comes amid ongoing discussions between government ministries and agencies, as officials work to coordinate a response.

As a result, a press conference scheduled for 10.45 am local time on Thursday intended to outline Indonesia’s position on the new tariffs has been postponed.

“The US tariff policy is highly complex, covering a wide range of commodities, and requires further in-depth discussions across various government departments,” Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry confirmed that the press conference has been postponed until further notice.

It was initially scheduled to include senior officials, such as Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso, Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono, and Deputy Minister of Industry Faisol Riza.

The new tariffs, announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2, include a 32 per cent duty on imports from Indonesia.

Trump has argued the measures are necessary, citing Indonesia’s local content requirements, complex import licensing rules, and new regulations requiring natural resource firms to onshore export revenues exceeding US$250,000.

A Jakarta-based think tank institution Centre for Economic and Law Studies (Celios) warned that the move could trigger an economic downturn in Indonesia by the final quarter of 2025.

Executive director Bhima Yudhistira said the increased tariffs would significantly weaken Indonesia’s exports to the US and potentially impact trade with other countries.

“The automotive and electronics sectors will be especially affected,” he told the state news agency Antara.

-- BERNAMA