Jakarta, July 17 -- Manpower Minister Yassierli stated that the United States' (US') imposition of a new trade tariff rate on Indonesia provides momentum to strengthen the resilience of the domestic industry.

"This is our momentum to strengthen the domestic industry by ensuring that the domestic market provides opportunities to be optimized by our industries," he told the press in Jakarta on Thursday.

Earlier, Indonesia and the US reached a deal under which Indonesia will pay a 19-percent tariff on every product it exports to the US. Meanwhile, US exports to Indonesia will be exempt from both tariff and non-tariff barriers.

When asked if imports of US products would trigger layoffs, especially in labor-intensive industries, Yassierli s...