So, like, this dude Airlangga Hartarto, who’s the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, met up with Scott Bessent, the US Secretary of the Treasury, for chats about tariffs. This all went down in Washington, D.C. last Thursday, which was April 24th, just so you know.
Hartarto was all like, “We’re all about that fair trade life. Indonesia is gonna buy more stuff from the US, like oil, gas, and farm goods.” He mentioned this in a statement that came out on Friday, in case you missed it.
The Indonesian government already promised to do this when they talked with the US Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative. Hartarto also told Bessent that Indonesia is welcoming investments and wants to team up with the US in critical areas like minerals, tech, and finance.
He made it clear that Indonesia is serious about making things easier for trade with the US. They’re gonna make adjustments to permits, quotas, and requirements for imports. Hartarto said they’re aiming to wrap up all the nitty-gritty talks within 60 days.
On the other side, Bessent was pretty stoked about how fast Indonesia responded to those new US tariffs Trump announced on April 2nd. He thinks Indonesia is really committed to keeping their relationship with the US strong.
Bessent also mentioned that the US is looking to work more closely with Indonesia on the global stage, like in the G20 and OECD. Indonesia is trying to join the OECD right now, so that’s a big deal.
In other news, Prabowo and some Malaysian big shot talked about Gaza and Trump’s tariffs. Indonesia is all about having a chill, balanced trade vibe with the US, according to some Minister dude.
