Indonesia to raise US imports — minister

Indonesia is considering increasing its imports from the United States to reduce its trade surplus with Washington, ahead of high-level economic talks scheduled for later this month, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Monday.

“Indonesia will purchase goods from America according to Indonesia’s needs,” Airlangga told reporters.

The move comes as Jakarta prepares for negotiations in Washington from 16 to 23 April, with a delegation that will include Foreign Minister Sugiono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The officials are expected to meet with members of former President Donald Trump's current administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Indonesia is one of the countries that had the first opportunity to be invited to Washington,” Airlangga said.

The United States imposed 32 percent tariffs on Indonesian goods during Trump’s first term, placing the Southeast Asian country among the hardest hit in Asia by the administration’s trade policies.

According to data from the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, the U.S. goods trade deficit with Indonesia rose 5.4 percent in 2024 to $17.9 billion.

To help balance trade, Airlangga said last week that Indonesia would look to import more products such as liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also said last week that Indonesia plans to lower import taxes on certain commodities, including mobile phones and laptops, reducing tariffs from 2.5 percent to 0.5 percent. Other U.S. products, such as steel and medical equipment, will see duties cut from 5–10 percent to between zero and 5 percent, she said.

The United States remains one of Indonesia’s top trading partners, and the upcoming talks could shape the economic relationship between the two countries in the years ahead.