SENAYANPOST – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that the Indonesian government has reached an important agreement with the United States regarding trade tariff reductions. He made this statement upon his arrival in Indonesia following a diplomatic visit to several countries and a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Prabowo stated that negotiations with the US were quite tough, but ultimately resulted in tariff reductions for Indonesia.
“Thank God. After tough negotiations, we finally reached an agreement. We will also, in other words, understand their interests. They understand our interests, and we agree. Now the tariff has been reduced from 32% to 19%. I will continue negotiating; I can say he [Trump] is quite a tough negotiator,” Prabowo said at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base on Wednesday (July 16).
According to Prabowo, there is always room for negotiation in trade. "Trade relations are about continuous negotiation," said Prabowo.
Prabowo emphasized that although the two countries understand each other's interests, Indonesia maintains a strong bargaining position in protecting national interests, especially workers and strategic domestic sectors.
"We've calculated everything, we've negotiated everything. What's important to me is my people. What's important is that I protect our workers. Although we have our own position. This is our offer; we can't afford to give more. But what's important to me is that our workers are safe," he continued.
Prabowo expressed his optimism that Indonesia's economy is strong and solid, capable of facing global challenges and the dynamics of international trade negotiations.
"And I'm very optimistic that our economy is strong, in good condition. So whatever happens, we will be strong," he stressed.
