RI Plans To Implement BMAD 200 Percent For Chinese Import Ceramics, Faisal Basri: Look For Black Goats

Senior Economist Indef Faisal Basri. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Senior Economist Indef Faisal Basri criticized the government's plan to implement a 200 percent import duty (BMAD) for imported ceramics from China.

He considered that the plan was taken without adequate analysis.

Faisal also assessed that China was only used as a scapegoat for the declining problems in Indonesia's manufacturing industry. This is because the government conducted an investigation when the manufacturing industry had not yet recovered from the impact of COVID-19.

The investigation period (was carried out when) the industry was still red. So this is an industrial trend. Suddenly, the solution for BMAD is really disgusting. Jump conclusion, look for scapegoats," he said in an Indef discussion in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 16.

According to Faisal, the phenomenon of Chinese ceramic flooding did not occur in Indonesia. Based on data from the International Trade Center (ITC), the volume of imports from China for the HS code 690721 actually decreased from 2019 to 2020.

Faisal also said that other HS codes also experienced the same thing. Such as the import volume of HS code 690722 of 27,000 tons in 2020. However, in 2021 there was indeed an increase of 50,000 tons and decreased again in 2022 to 48,000 tons.

Referring to the ITC data, Faisal admitted that he did not see that Indonesia was flooded with imported ceramic products from China.

This is from the International Trade Center. We show once again that in 2019 900,000.000 tons for HS code 690721. 2020 is 863,000 tons. In 2021, it will increase to 1.1 million tons. In 2022, the song has dropped to 1 million tons," he explained.

"So which one is flooded with imports? I'm confused. Flooded right? Where? This is a phenomenon before COVID. This is official data, not my data," he continued.

In addition, Faisal also said that China's contrubusi in import exports to Indonesia is relatively small.

Where Indonesia only contributes 1.9 percent of all Chinese exports. Meanwhile, Indonesia is only 2.9 percent of the total imports of China.

In fact, Faisal assessed, compared to Indonesia, China actually imports more from neighboring countries, namely Malaysia and Vietnam.

"So for China, Indonesia is not very important as its trading partner. The export destination is only 1.9 percent of total exports. Imports from Indonesia are only 2.9 percent. Losing to Vietnam and Malaysia. So more Chinese imports from Malaysia and Vietnam," he said.