Indonesia will soon impose tariffs of up to 200% on imports of Chinese goods “to mitigate the effects of the ongoing trade war between China and the United States,” according to a report by state news agency Antara, which quoted Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan as saying there was an oversupply of Chinese goods because they were rejected by Western countries and had been redirected to countries like Indonesia.
The minister said tariffs of 100 to 200 percent would be imposed on Chinese imports – from shoes to ceramics – as the policy aims to ensure that “local industries survive and thrive,” according to the report. “If we are flooded with imported goods, our micro, small and medium-sized enterprises could collapse,” he said.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy enacted regulations in late 2018 to tighten oversight of more than 3,000 imported products, from food ingredients to electronics to chemicals. But the regulations were rolled back after domestic manufacturers said they hampered the flow of imported materials they needed, Reuters reported.
Tariffs will be imposed soon and could affect imports of footwear, clothing, textiles, cosmetics and ceramics, Zulkifli said, adding that they would come into effect once a regulation on the matter is issued. Indonesia’s Trade Safeguard Committee is working to determine the tariff rates, a senior trade ministry official told Reuters on Saturday.
Read it Full report: Antara news agency.
