Indonesia sends top minister to US to finalise trade deal
Indonesia is deploying a top economic minister to the US to finalise the details of a trade deal announced in July, a ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Washington has slashed the tariff faced by Southeast Asia’s biggest economy from 32% to 19%, in an agreement hailed by President Prabowo Subianto as a “new era” of trade relations between the two countries.
Discussions over the details of the deal have been ongoing since the July announcement, with Jakarta pushing for a tariff exemption for some of its export products, including crude palm oil (CPO).
Coordinating economic minister Airlangga Hartarto, who leads Indonesia’s negotiation team, is “currently heading to the US”, spokesman Haryo Limanseto told AFP.
Airlangga is due to finalise the July deal with officials from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the spokesman said.
