Donald Trump stated, without providing further details, that many of these planes would be of the 777 model, the wide-body jet from the American manufacturer, whose latest version – the 777X program – has yet to be certified by the FAA, the American regulatory authority, although its service entry was initially expected in 2020.
The President of the United States had also announced on his social network Truth that he reached a trade agreement with Indonesia, which could allow the Southeast Asian country to avoid tariffs exceeding the minimum threshold of 10% imposed by Washington.
“A great deal for everyone has just been reached with Indonesia. I negotiated directly with its highly respected President,” initially posted Trump, without providing more details on the nature of the signed agreement.
Before leaving the White House, he stated to the press that the archipelago would “give [the United States] full access” to its domestic market, without any customs fees, while Indonesian products would be taxed at 19% when entering the United States.
Trump also emphasized the importance of copper produced by Indonesia, as the American President intends to introduce sectoral tariffs on this metal.
In a new message later posted on Truth Social, the US President specified that the agreement includes Indonesia’s acquisition of fifty aircraft from the American manufacturer Boeing.
On July 8, Indonesia committed to importing more American agricultural products and oil in an attempt to ease Washington’s stance and avoid a sharp increase in duty on its products.
Trump had threatened Jakarta with an additional tariff of 32% if a trade agreement was not signed by August 1.
Indonesian Minister of Economy, Arlangga Hartarto, traveled to Washington to negotiate the agreement at the beginning of July, announcing intentions to purchase American agricultural products and oil, without specifying the amount of these purchases.
However, he indicated that Indonesian companies would commit to spending a total of 34 billion dollars.
To date, the US has only announced two agreements, with the UK and Vietnam, although the White House claimed it could sign up to 90.
Since early July, about twenty countries received a letter from the White House announcing the imposition of customs duties ranging from 20% to 40% for most countries, and 50% for Brazilian products. These surcharges will be applied starting August 1.
On Sunday, Indonesia also signed a “political agreement” with the European Union (EU) to ease trade barriers, concluding negotiations initiated in 2016 aimed at enhancing trade and investment on both sides.
