China Threatens Countries Negotiated Tariffs To The US, Ministry Of Trade: We Respect Each Other's Rights

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) responded to a firm statement by the Chinese government that threatened to take countermeasures against countries negotiating tariffs with the United States (US).

The Director General (Dirjen) of International Trade Negotiations of the Ministry of Trade, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, said Indonesia would change the direction of trade policy and continue to build positive relations with a number of trading partners, including China.

"Regarding the government of RRT (China), I think we also uphold Indonesia and RRT (China), yes, the principle of multilateral trade. We respect each other's rights and obligations," he said in a virtual press conference, Monday, April 21.

Djatmiko also admitted that he was reluctant to speculate about the fate of Indonesia's trade relationship both with the US and with China in the future. However, he said, what is certain is that the government will establish relations with trading partners as best as possible.

In fact, continued Djatmiko, the Indonesian government also did not hesitate to hold a diplomatic and trade forum with countries that are the main trading partners.

"I can't speculate, that, what will happen in the future, what the Indonesian government must ensure is that activities related to our main partners continue to run as well as possible. Even if there are issues, yes, in the field we will always finish them in diplomacy forums and trade negotiations," he said.

For your information, the threat was conveyed by China following the steps taken by a number of countries that began to establish trade communication with the US amid the protectionist policy carried out by Uncle Sam's country.

The Chinese government also insists it will stick to its decision and refuses to negotiate with the US regarding the new tariff policy decision launched by US President Donald Trump.