logo
Indonesia's trade surplus shrinks to lowest in 5 years

Indonesia's trade surplus shrinks to lowest in 5 years

Reuters2 days ago

JAKARTA, June 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia booked a trade surplus of around $160 million in April, the lowest since April 2020, amid a surge in imports, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday.
The country had recorded a $4.33 billion surplus in March.
Imports jumped 21.84% on a yearly basis to $20.59 billion, with capital goods rising the most. The median forecast in a Reuters poll was for a rise of 7.75%.
Exports rose 5.76% in April from a year earlier to $20.74 billion, matching the median forecast of analysts polled by Reuters.
The bureau is due to release May inflation and other economic indicators later on Monday.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

China tells US envoy Washington must get ties back on 'right track'
China tells US envoy Washington must get ties back on 'right track'

Reuters

time36 minutes ago

  • Reuters

China tells US envoy Washington must get ties back on 'right track'

BEIJING, June 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. should create the necessary conditions for bilateral relations to get back onto "the right track," China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.S. ambassador to Beijing on Tuesday, according to a ministry statement. After trade talks last month in Geneva, China has "conscientiously and strictly" implemented the consensus reached by both sides, but it is "regrettable that the U.S. recently introduced a series of 'negative' measures", which China firmly opposes, Wang told Ambassador David Perdue. Bilateral relations are at a critical juncture, and dialogue and cooperation are "the only correct choice," Wang said. Perdue said in an X post after the meeting that he had emphasized U.S. President Donald Trump's priorities on trade, fentanyl, and illegal immigration, adding that "communication is vital" to U.S.-China relations. Trump on Friday accused China of violating a bilateral deal to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions,and the U.S. has ordered curbs on chip design software and other shipments to China. The Geneva truce to dial back triple-digit tariffs for 90 days prompted a massive relief rally in global stocks. But it did nothing to address the underlying reasons for Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods, mainly longstanding U.S. complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. Senior U.S. officials have said this week that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would speak soon to iron out trade issues, including a dispute over critical minerals and China's restrictions on exports of certain minerals. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a regular news briefing on Tuesday the Trump administration "is actively monitoring China's compliance with the Geneva trade agreement," and added that "there will be a leader to leader talk very soon."

South Korea's new leader to seek more time for US trade talks
South Korea's new leader to seek more time for US trade talks

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • Reuters

South Korea's new leader to seek more time for US trade talks

SEOUL, June 4 (Reuters) - The new South Korean administration will likely make efforts to buy time for U.S. trade talks, as it studies the negotiations of bigger neighbours Japan and China for leverage, according to sources familiar with the ruling party's thinking. President Lee Jae-myung, who took office hours after winning the June 3 snap presidential election without a usual two-month transition period, said on the eve of the elections that "the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States." The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal Lee can strike, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. The new president and his liberal Democratic Party government inherit an economy that is expected to grow this year by a grim 0.8%, the weakest since 2020, and will need to unify a country deeply polarised by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt. South Korea and other countries may face further pressure, as a draft letter seen by Reuters showed the Trump administration wanted countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by Wednesday. A trade ministry official declined to confirm if Seoul had received the letter. But the transition of power after a six-month leadership vacuum provides Seoul with an excuse to slow down its negotiations and observe Washington's tariff talks with other countries, lawmakers, officials and trade experts from the Democratic Party said. "The new administration will need to take a fresh look at the overall framework of the negotiations and that will be a buffer to buy time, which the U.S. cannot reject," said a trade expert who took part in brainstorming for Lee's trade strategies. The sources added the administration may not be able to immediately ask Trump for an extension, and Lee's top diplomacy adviser has said he sees such a request being considered only after reviewing the progress. Still, prolonged negotiations by other countries may help to buy Seoul time. "It will be strategically right to take a wait-and-see stance because the situation is changing within the United States and around negotiations of other countries," one lawmaker said. South Korea, a major U.S. ally and one of the first countries to engage with Washington after Japan, agreed in late April to craft a "July package" scrapping levies before the 90-day pause on Trump's reciprocal tariffs is lifted, but progress was disrupted by continued upheavals in South Korea's leadership. Lee has since stressed there is no need to rush into clinching a deal and the deadline of July 8 set between Seoul and Washington should be reconsidered. During his election campaign, Lee did not make specific comments about contentious issues around the trade talks. That "silence" was a strategic move, a party official said. Trump's across-the-board tariffs on trading partners, including 25% duties on South Korea, have been the subject of ongoing litigation, but remain in place. "For different reasons, China and Japan will be references for us, with the former on the possibility of U.S. policy changes and the latter on how to make moves under a similar circumstance," another trade expert said. Japan, another U.S. ally slapped with 24% tariffs, no longer sees merit in striking a quick deal, unless it is granted an exemption from 25% product-specific duties on its key industry of automobiles, also a major sector for South Korea. China agreed with the U.S. to significantly unwind their tariffs on each other in a 90-day truce signed in mid-May, but Trump last week accused Beijing of violating the agreement and threatened to take tougher actions. When it comes to joint responses to U.S. tariffs, there is a higher possibility with Japan than China, two sources said, citing shared interest in energy purchases and auto tariffs. Lee's party expects there to be some "two-track" transitional period, with current officials continuing negotiations as the new administration formulates its strategies, according to the official. Given its strength in key sectors of U.S. interest, such as shipbuilding and technology, some analysts see South Korea as better positioned than others in the region, as Seoul prepares a separate package of industrial cooperation for bargaining power. "Successful outcomes require offers that support the president's domestic agenda, and this will be comparatively easy for Korea given its importance in politically sensitive industries," said Jay Truesdale, a former U.S. diplomat and CEO of TD International, an advisory firm in Washington, D.C. Kathleen Oh, Morgan Stanley's chief Korea and Taiwan economist, said: "We believe there may be more channels and enough scope for Korea to work out a deal compared to, let's say, its exporting peer Taiwan." South Korea has the scope to decrease its trade surplus with the U.S. via more import purchases, while it can also offer to lower tariffs on agricultural products, particularly rice, quoted by Trump as a high tariff example, Oh said. But, for the Lee administration, that is more the reason it does not have to rush, the second trade expert said. "In the worst-case scenario, if tariffs are adjusted after we sign an agreement, that might mean we made unnecessary concessions," the source said, adding "it's not like we don't have any leverage".

California to appeal after judge dismisses lawsuit over Trump tariffs
California to appeal after judge dismisses lawsuit over Trump tariffs

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

California to appeal after judge dismisses lawsuit over Trump tariffs

A United States judge dismissed California's challenge to Donald Trump's tariffs, allowing the state to file an appeal over the court's ruling that the dispute should have been filed in a specialized US trade court in New York. The ruling, handed down late on Monday by US district judge Jacqueline Corley in San Francisco, did not delve into the merits of California's lawsuit. Now, three separate US appeals courts may simultaneously consider the legality of Trump's sweeping tariffs on US trading partners and a separate set of tariffs targeting imports from China, Mexico and Canada. Since February, Trump has issued new tariffs, paused tariffs from taking effect, and raised and lowered rates as he attempts to negotiate new trade deals with other nations. The on-again and off-again tariffs have whipsawed businesses who work with international suppliers. Although legal experts expect that the US supreme court will ultimately decide the legality of the tariffs, rulings from different intermediate courts in the meantime could further sow confusion. A panel of three judges in the Manhattan-based US court of international trade and a federal judge in Washington DC have already declared that Trump did not have unilateral authority to impose tariffs without input from Congress. The Trump administration has appealed both rulings, in cases brought by 12 US states and several small businesses. Corley's ruling is more limited than either of those decisions and does not address the legality of Trump's tariffs. Instead, Corley ruled that California should have sued in the court of international trade, which has exclusive jurisdiction over tariff disputes in the US. California, which opposed the transfer, had asked the judge to dismiss its case rather than transfer it, which will allow it to appeal to the ninth US circuit court of appeals. The US court of appeals for the federal circuit in Washington has temporarily paused the trade court's ruling, which allows the tariffs to remain in place for now, while it considers whether to impose a longer term stay while an appeal of that ruling plays out. California argues that any federal court can hear the case because it raises constitutional objection to Trump's use of tariff powers that are reserved for Congress unless delegated to a president. The law that Trump has cited to justify the tariffs, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, does not authorize tariffs at all, so it can not force California to litigate in the trade court, California's attorney general Rob Bonta said. 'Our argument is straightforward. Trump doesn't have the authority to impose these destructive tariffs,' Bonta said in a statement. The lawsuits challenge Trump's so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs on imports from most US trading partners, as well as a separate set of tariffs levied on China, Mexico and Canada. The latter are related to his accusation that the three countries were facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the US, allegations the countries deny.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store