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Jakarta – Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, announced that the government continues its intensive efforts to secure an exemption for Indonesian palm oil products from the US tariff policy imposed under the Section 301 investigation.
Hartarto clarified that discussions regarding the exemption request are still ongoing with the United States government, indicating that no final decision has been made on the matter to date. He affirmed that the Indonesian government is awaiting a resolution from the US authorities.
In addition to its pursuit of palm oil exemption, the Indonesian government has also proposed applying 0 per cent import tariffs on a range of Indonesian natural resource-based commodities entering the American market.
In a related context, Hartarto addressed the findings of the Section 301 investigation concerning alleged 'forced labor' practices. He noted that Indonesia's position in this regard is considered relatively better compared to several other countries. He stated: 'If it's about Section 301 and forced labor, it has already been declared that Indonesia is a relatively compliant country compared to other nations. Initially, Indonesia was one of 6 out of 60 countries, but from the latest count, the number of those 6 countries has increased to 17 countries.' This implies that Indonesia continues to adhere to standards while the number of non-compliant nations expands.
The Minister confirmed that countries failing to meet the specified compliance criteria have been subjected to additional duties of 12.5 per cent.
Regarding the ongoing investigations into 'overcapacity,' Hartarto explained that the Indonesian government has provided all requested explanations and data to the US authorities.
Hartarto concluded by emphasizing that the final level of import tariffs, still under negotiation with Washington, will depend entirely on the comprehensive results of the ongoing Section 301 investigation. Source: Indonesian News Agency