China Objects to Indonesia-US Trade Agreement, Foreign Ministry Responds

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) has emphasised that the reciprocal trade agreement (Agreement on Reciprocal Trade/ART) between Indonesia and the United States is a bilateral agreement mechanism based on the country’s free and active foreign policy doctrine and national interests.

According to Kemlu spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang, the free and active foreign policy constitutes a constitutional mandate, meaning any cooperation undertaken by Indonesia with partner countries, including the United States, must be placed within the context of national interests.

“This does not mean we have strategic alignment with a particular bloc that would lead other countries to believe ‘you with this country, I am threatened’ or ‘you with party A or B, then I am threatened’,” Mewengkang said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday.

Mewengkang’s statement was made in response to China’s reaction to the Indonesia-US reciprocal trade agreement, particularly regarding the possibility that Indonesia would impose the same import restrictions as the United States against other trading partners.

The Kemlu spokesperson stressed that Indonesia seeks to expand partnerships and maintain good relations with all partners, including both the United States and China and other strategic partners.

For this reason, the ART between Indonesia and the United States should not be viewed as a cooperation initiative that would disrupt the interests of other nations. This is especially the case because the agreement was negotiated in a bilateral context.

“The ART will not alter our foreign policy principles. Free and active [policy] remains and will continue to be our compass,” said Mewengkang.

“Meanwhile, our bilateral cooperation is an instrument that actually strengthens our objective of securing national interests,” she added.