Navigating U.S. Tariffs: A Strategic Outlook for Indonesia

April 10, 2025 Posted by ASEAN Briefing Written by Ayman Falak Medina Reading Time: 6 minutes On April 2, 2025, the United States introduced sweeping new tariffs on several key trading partners, including a 32 percent tariff on goods imported from Indonesia. This development is part of a broader move by the U.S. administration to address longstanding trade imbalances and perceived unfair tariff structures. Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, has long maintained a significant trade surplus with the United States. This has now become a point of contention, drawing the archipelago into the crosshairs of a renewed U.S. protectionist stance.While the tariffs are framed by Washington as corrective, they pose serious risks to Indonesia’s trade-driven sectors. Given Indonesia’s deep integration into global value chains and its reliance on the U.S. market for specific goods, the implications are more than symbolic.Businesses, policymakers, and investors must now navigate a more uncerta...