Indonesia wants 'fair and square' trade in US tariff talks

Indonesia is pressing for a “fair and square” trade deal with Washington, senior ministers said, as Jakarta hustles to head off a 32 % U.S. tariff by offering to boost American imports by up to $19 billion while safeguarding its own economic interests.

Indonesia is putting its domestic priorities first as it negotiates proposed U.S. tariffs, senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said Friday, underscoring Jakarta’s desire for a “fair and square” trade relationship with Washington.

Hartarto and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati have been in the United States since last week discussing a 32 % duty that Washington has suspended for 90 days. Indonesia logged a $14.3 billion surplus with the U.S. last year.

Speaking at an online briefing, Hartarto said talks have covered energy supplies, wider U.S. market access for Indonesian products, deregulation, and cooperation on critical minerals, agriculture, health and renewables. The two sides also addressed Indonesia’s national payment and QR-code systems, which the U.S. says disadvantage firms such as Visa and Mastercard. Technical discussions are set for the next two weeks.

Jakarta has offered to raise U.S. imports by as much as $19 billion—switching to American wheat, soybeans, LPG and crude—and to ease some non-tariff barriers and taxes. Hartarto stressed that the plan would not come at other partners’ expense, pledging Indonesia would seek purchases from nations that lose market share.

Indonesia hopes its decision to negotiate rather than retaliate will resonate with President Donald Trump, whom Sri Mulyani said tends to reward “first movers.” On the IMF–World Bank spring-meeting sidelines, she compared notes with other tariff-hit countries and said Washington has asked ASEAN members about a collective stance.

The delegation has also met U.S. officials and executives from semiconductor firms, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing. While Sri Mulyani warned that tariff risks could dent global and Indonesian growth, she still projects the economy will expand about 5 % this year, just shy of the government’s 5.2 % goal.

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