Indonesia Plans up to 200% Tariffs on Chinese Goods

Indonesia will soon impose import tariffs of up to a 200% on Chinese goods “to mitigate the effects of the ongoing trade war between China and the United States,” according to a report by the state news agency Antara, which quoted Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan as saying there was an oversupply of Chinese products because they were being rejected by Western nations and had been redirected to countries like Indonesia.

The minister said tariffs ranging from 100-200% would be imposed on Chinese imports – from footwear to ceramics, as the policy aimed to ensure that local “industries will survive and thrive,” the report said. “If we are flooded with (imported goods), our micro, small and medium enterprises could collapse,” he said.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy issued a regulation late last year to tighten monitoring for more than 3,000 imported goods, from food ingredients to electronics to chemicals. But the regulation was reversed after domestic industry said it hindered the flow of imported materials needed by domestic industry, Reuters said.

Duties would be imposed soon and could affect imports of footwear, clothing, textiles, cosmetics and ceramics, Zulkifli said, adding that they would take effect once a regulation on the matter was issued. The Indonesian Trade Safeguards Committee is working to determine tariff rates, a senior trade ministry official told Reuters on Saturday.

Read the full report: Antara news agency.