Indonesia, other countries come to Trump tariff negotiating table
Indonesia and other countries are lining up Tuesday at the negotiating table in hopes of striking deals with the Trump administration over the sweeping reciprocal tariffs announced against them last week.
The developments come as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with a top Chinese official to push for "a negotiated resolution to the current situation, emphasizing the need to avoid further escalation." President Donald Trump warned yesterday that he would impose an additional 50% tariff on China if it did not withdraw the recent 34% retaliatory tariffs it announced against the U.S.
"What is happening now, the world is in turmoil due to the world’s strongest economy country making policies to increase tariffs so high for many countries," Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto said in Jakarta on Tuesday after his country was hit with a 32% tariff from the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
Indonesia's Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto reportedly added that the country’s government would not take any retaliatory measures towards the U.S. and has reached out to begin negotiations on the reciprocal tariff policy.
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"What America wants is a balancing of the trade balance," the AP quoted him as saying. "We will increase our purchase of American products."
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, speaking Tuesday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Investment Conference in Kuala Lumpur, announced his government and others in Southeast Asia will dispatch a delegation to Washington to discuss the tariffs, the AP reported.
"We do not believe in megaphone diplomacy," Anwar reportedly said. "As part of our soft diplomacy of quiet engagement, we will be dispatching together with our colleagues in ASEAN our officials in Washington to begin the process of dialogue."
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The news agency also reported that India’s foreign minister spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio late Monday in hopes of reaching an early conclusion in talks over a bilateral trade deal and that Japan’s prime minister is considering traveling to Washington for direct talks with Trump over the tariffs.
Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social that he spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba over the phone and that he is "sending a top team to negotiate."
The office of European Commission President von der Leyen also said she held a phone call with Chinese Premier Li Qiang "to discuss the state of EU-China relations, as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties."
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"The President underscored the vital importance of stability and predictability for the global economy," it said, adding "The President called for a negotiated resolution to the current situation, emphasizing the need to avoid further escalation."