U.S. signals readiness to seal Indonesia trade deal

AWANI

The U.S. trade chief says Washington is prepared to advance a long-delayed trade deal with Indonesia, despite concerns over Jakarta backtracking on commitments as both sides prepare for fresh bilateral talks.

Transcript

00:00U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer says Washington remains strongly committed

00:04to completing a trade deal with Indonesia, following concerns about the agreement's

00:09stability. He added that he will meet his Indonesian counterpart to discuss the future

00:14of a planned trade deal. He declined to share details of the talks, citing confidentiality,

00:23but Greer noted that the U.S. is prepared to move quickly,

00:26with discussions set for Thursday to assess current progress.

00:30Concerns emerged on Tuesday after the Financial Times reported, citing a U.S. official,

00:35that the agreement could be at risk following Jakarta's withdrawal from several earlier commitments.

00:40Indonesian officials responded on Wednesday, insisting that negotiations are still underway

00:45and that no specific issues have arisen in recent days. The two countries announced in July that

00:51Indonesia would remove tariffs on more than 99 percent of U.S. goods and lift all non-tariff

00:57barriers affecting American firms. In return, the U.S. would scale back proposed tariffs on

01:02Indonesian products, reducing them to 19 percent from 32 percent.

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