SEMARANG – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today met with Indonesia’s Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan. The meeting took place ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Ministers’ (AEM)-USTR Consultations.
Ambassador Tai began by thanking Minister Hasan and Indonesia for hosting ASEAN in 2023 and noted how much progress has been made through the U.S.-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement Work Plan, including on issues related to trade facilitation, standards, the digital economy, and MSME development.
Ambassador Tai and Minister Hasan also discussed progress and updates on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Ambassador Tai thanked Minister Hasan for Indonesia’s participation in and contributions to the negotiations and expressed her hope that the IPEF Partners will continue the momentum during the next negotiating round in Bangkok, Thailand in September.
The ministers also discussed the U.S.-Indonesia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Ambassador Tai noted that the United States views this TIFA as an important mechanism to discuss bilateral trade issues.
Finally, the ministers discussed shared priorities at the World Trade Organization for the betterment of their people and agreed to maintain close cooperation moving forward.
Ambassador Tai and Minister Hasan instructed their teams to continue work in these areas in order to maintain a strong U.S.-Indonesian trade relationship.
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