Prabowo Emphasises National Interests in US Trade Agreement

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised that the government will not sacrifice national interests in any policy decisions, including the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Indonesia and the United States (US). “You must believe that I prioritise Indonesia’s national interests. If I assess that our national interests are threatened by any agreement, then we can leave it,” said President Prabowo, quoted from the “Prabowo Answers” broadcast released by the Indonesian Government Communication Agency in Jakarta on Sunday. According to the President, the entire content of the agreement has undergone thorough considerations before being agreed upon by the government. One of the main points in the cooperation is the reduction of trade tariffs from 32 per cent to 19 per cent. The President explained that in the agreement, Indonesia receives special treatment from US President Donald Trump. The government still has room to renegotiate if, in the future, the agreement is deemed detrimental to the domestic side. “In yesterday’s agreement, we agreed that if there are matters that are not agreeable to both parties or conflict with our interests, then an adjustment clause will be made,” said Prabowo. Furthermore, the President mentioned that this special feature in the form of an adjustment clause is not possessed by other countries in similar agreements with the United States. This provides flexibility for Indonesia to maintain its economic sovereignty. From the commodity side, Indonesia is said to gain significant advantages through this agreement. As many as 1,819 national strategic commodities now have market access with zero per cent tariffs to the United States. Prabowo detailed that flagship products such as coffee and palm oil are included in the list of commodities with zero per cent tariffs. The elimination of tariff barriers is considered to be highly beneficial for national producers and exporters. Regarding comparisons with neighbouring countries’ policies, the President emphasised that Indonesia will act rationally in making decisions. The government will not hastily follow the steps of other countries like Malaysia in unilaterally cancelling trade agreements without careful calculation. The President assured that every economic diplomacy step taken will always be based on calculations of benefits for the Indonesian people.