Indonesia is considering increasing its imports from the United States as part of efforts to reduce its trade surplus with the country, ahead of upcoming negotiations in Washington, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto announced.
Indonesia was among the hardest-hit Asian nations by the 32% tariffs imposed under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies. These measures significantly impacted bilateral trade, contributing to a growing imbalance. According to data from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, the U.S. goods trade deficit with Indonesia reached $17.9 billion in 2024, a 5.4% increase from the previous year.
“Indonesia will purchase goods from America based on its needs,” Airlangga told reporters recently. He noted that Jakarta is planning to import more U.S. products such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help close the trade gap with one of its top trading partners.
Airlangga also announced that he, along with Foreign Minister Sugiono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, will travel to Washington from April 16 to 23 for high-level discussions with U.S. officials. Scheduled meetings include talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Indonesia is among the first countries to receive an invitation to Washington,” Airlangga added, emphasizing the significance of the engagement. In preparation for the talks, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani recently announced that Indonesia will reduce import duties on select U.S. goods. Tariffs on items such as mobile phones and laptops will be lowered from 2.5% to 0.5%, while import duties on U.S. steel and medical equipment will be cut to between 0% and 5%, down from the current 5–10%.
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