JakartaPost-June 30, 2025
The government on Monday has unveiled a series of new import regulation that would ease access to specific goods and raw materials as well as eliminate overlapping rules that industry groups have long criticized as burdensome, ahead of July 9 deadline of ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations with the United States. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said at the press conference that deregulation, through the easing of import licensing and the reduction of non-tariff barriers, is part of Jakarta’s efforts to placate Washington. “[Deregulation] will be conducted in stages. There are measures we’ve already implemented, and others will depend on the outcome of the tariff negotiations,” Airlangga told reporters. The previous Trade Minister regulations No. 36/2023 and 8/2024, which set conditions and quotas on many types of imports, would be nullified and replaced by “a more flexible” framework outlined in Trade Minister Regulation 16/2025 and its eight accompanying regulations tailored to specific sectors. The updated rules would take effect 60 days after the upcoming issuance. Five commodities prioritized for deregulation include forestry products, subsidized fertilizers, raw materials for plastic, other fuel types and food trays used in President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meals program. These goods will no longer be subject to import restrictions, marking a shift away from the various limitations previously imposed on their importation. Meanwhile, imports for products belonging to the other five groups, like saccharin, cyclamate, alcohol-based fragrance preparations, certain chemicals, pearls, footwear and two- and three-wheeled bicycles, would only require verification by state-appointed surveyor agencies, as opposed to import approval from related ministries currently mandated. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2025/06/30/ri-to-relax-import-rules-as-us-tariff-deadline-nears.html.
