US ready to move forward with Indonesia deal, trade chief says ahead of bilateral talks

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Wednesday said he would discuss a trade deal with his Indonesian counterpart, after an American official said an agreement reached between the two nations in July was at risk of collapsing. Greer declined to discuss the state of the trade talks with Indonesia, saying they were subject to a confidentiality agreement, but underscoring Washington's interest in finalizing the trade deal.

"We're always ready to move forward, and to move forward quickly, and I'm going to have a conversation with my counterpart in Indonesia tomorrow morning ... to talk about progress," Greer told an event hosted by the Atlantic Council.

"I'd love to see that deal finished and done. I think it's in their interest and ours," he said.


A U.S. official on Tuesday said the U.S.-Indonesia trade agreement was in jeopardy because Jakarta has backtracked on several commitments it made as part of the deal.

Asked about the comments, Indonesian officials said on Wednesday the talks between the two sides are still ongoing, with no specific issues arising during negotiations.

"Dynamics in the negotiation process are normal. The Indonesian government hopes that an agreement can be reached soon that is beneficial to both parties," said Haryo Limanseto, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Ministry for Economic Affairs.

The ministry is headed by Airlangga Hartarto, the chief negotiator for the tariff talks between Jakarta and Washington.

The two countries in July said Indonesia agreed to eliminate tariffs on more than 99% of U.S. goods and scrap all non-tariff barriers facing U.S. firms, while the U.S. agreed to drop threatened tariffs on Indonesian products to 19% from 32%.