Indonesia has so far signed 38 international trade agreements with countries such as Japan, Pakistan, Chile, South Korea, Mozambique, Australia, Iran, and Malaysia.
"This is one of the notes for us all, especially business players, to take advantage of accesses that we have strived for, especially in bilateral processes," he told the press after opening the Trade Expo Indonesia at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD here on Wednesday.
Besides the 38 agreements, another 15 agreements are being negotiated with several countries, such as the European Union, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Mauritius, Morocco, Canada, Peru, ASEAN, and Eurasia.
Meanwhile, agreements are still being explored with East Africa, Algeria, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Fiji, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Ukraine, India, and between ASEAN and the United Arab Emirates.
Those trade agreements are deemed useful for eliminating import duties.
"One of the benefits is that the import duty rate is zero. In Australia, there are almost 7 thousand products; in the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries (Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Liechtenstein), almost 8 thousand products and many others," he said.
According to the deputy minister, the government is currently continuing to make efforts to expand to non-traditional markets, such as Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, South and Central Asia, and the South Pacific.
One of the efforts taken to expand to non-traditional markets is synergizing with ministries and agencies as well as trade representatives in each country both through trade attachés and Indonesia Trade Promotion Centers (ITPC).
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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