Indonesia says to increase U.S. imports would divert orders from elsewhere

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Increased imports of U.S. food and commodities by Indonesia would mean lower orders from countries that Indonesia currently buys the products from, chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto told reporters in Washington.

Airlangga is in Washington as part of a delegation of senior officials who are meeting U.S. counterparts for talks about U.S. tariffs.

Indonesia has proposed increasing its imports from the U.S. by up to $19 billion, including around $10 billion of energy imports, as it seeks to avoid President Trump’s threatened 32% tariff on its exports.

(Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati; Editing by John Mair)