Beijing (ANTARA) - Responding to the latest trade agreement between Indonesia and the United States, China has emphasized the need for ensuring such deals are reached through equal dialogue and consultation.
“Our stance has always been that parties need to settle economic and trade disputes through equal-footed dialogue and consultation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump announced the same day that all Indonesian goods exported to the US will now face a 19-percent tariff, while US exports to Indonesia will be “Tariff and Non Tariff Barrier FREE.”
According to spokesperson Lin, China hopes countries will “jointly foster a sound environment for international economic and trade cooperation.”
Under the deal, which was reached during direct talks between Trump and President Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia has agreed to apply the same 19-percent tariff on any transshipped goods originating from countries with higher tariff rates.
Trump also revealed that Indonesia has agreed to purchase US$15 billion worth of energy products and US$4.5 billion in agricultural goods from the US.
Additionally, Indonesia is planning to buy 50 Boeing aircraft — mostly Boeing 777 passenger jets — although Trump did not specify which Indonesian buyers would be involved in the purchase.
In the latest development in the China-US trade war, China has agreed to reduce tariffs on US goods from 125 percent to 10 percent, while the US has reduced its tariff on Chinese-made products from 145 percent to 30 percent.
According to the US administration, the 30-percent tariff is a combination of a 10-percent basic tariff and an additional 20-percent “penalty” tariff on China for its “involvement in the illegal fentanyl trade” in the US.
