Protectionist “America-first” trade policies from United States President-elect Donald Trump may incentivize Chinese producers to flood Southeast Asia with cheap goods and create barriers to Indonesian exports to the US, Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairwoman Shinta Kamdani says.
According to Shinta, economic pressures on China, including its trade war with the US, could reduce Chinese demand for Indonesian goods as well.
Trump has threatened 60% tariffs on imports from China. The figure is much higher than the rate of between 7.5-25% he imposed during his first term as president.
China is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in terms of exports, worth US$64.94 billion in 2023, and imports, amounting to $62.88 billion in the same year, according to Statistics Indonesia.
Source: The Jakarta Post
