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U.S. Warns Indonesia Trade Deal Is in Jeopardy After Push to Weaken Commitments

Indonesian negotiators told USTR Jamieson Greer they cannot accept several binding terms, raising the risk the July pact unravels.

Overview

  • A U.S. official told Reuters the July agreement is at risk because Jakarta is reneging on commitments.
  • Financial Times reporting cited U.S. concerns that Indonesia is backsliding on scrapping non-tariff barriers and on digital trade pledges.
  • The July framework called for Indonesia to eliminate tariffs on more than 99% of U.S. goods while the U.S. would cut threatened tariffs on Indonesian products to 19% from 32%.
  • An Indonesian official told Reuters that tariff talks continue, with no specific issues identified in those negotiations.
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently described Indonesia as getting recalcitrant, and U.S. officials say weaker terms would compare poorly with recent deals with Malaysia and Cambodia.