Jakarta, Aug. 6 -- Trade Minister Budi Santoso remains optimistic that Indonesia's exports to the United States (US) will continue to show a surplus after the 19 percent import tariff takes effect on August 7, 2025.

He believes Indonesia is ahead of other countries, especially since the tariff applied to Indonesia is lower than those imposed on other competing nations.

"If the US market remains promising, it will be easier for us to penetrate the market because we do not start from scratch. We are one step ahead compared to other countries," he stated on Wednesday.

He explained that Indonesia's competition with other countries for access to the US market is based on the Most Favored Nation (MFN) system, which treats all World Trade Org...