Jakarta. Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto said Friday that the ongoing tariff negotiations with the US so far had not touched on Washington’s concerns over the trademark counterfeiting at Jakarta’s Mangga Dua market. 

Indonesia is trying to secure a deal with the US after its president Donald Trump threatened to impose a 32 percent tariff on the Southeast Asian country. In a report that aimed to justify the tariff hikes, the Trump team called Indonesia out on its poor intellectual property protection. It also lamented how the popular shopping district Mangga Dua in North Jakarta has been selling counterfeit goods. 

Airlangga has been leading the negotiations with the Trump government in Washington DC over the past week. Speaking to reporters via a teleconference, Airlangga said that the negotiations had only just begun and had not dealt with the counterfeit concerns.

“So no talks of Mangga Dua. We haven’t even gotten to the main details,” Airlangga said as he updated Indonesian reporters on the tariff negotiations.

In its so-called Notorious Market List, the US Trade Representative’s office not only slammed Mangga Dua, but also accused multiple online marketplaces operating in Indonesia -- namely Shopee and Bukalapak -- of selling fake goods. Bukalapak, however, has shut down its marketplace for physical items.

Indonesia is giving itself a deadline to wrap up the tariff negotiations in 60 days or before the 32 percent import tax enters into force in early July. A baseline 10 percent tariff is already in force. Over the past week, Airlangga has had a series of meetings with senior American officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, top trade negotiator Jamieson Greer, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“Everyone opened up a room for dialogue and a chance for detailed technical discussions over the next two weeks. There is a good momentum for Indonesia to push for the ongoing structural reforms to encourage trade and investment,” Airlangga said.

Airlangga told the news conference that Indonesia would uphold its national interests in the negotiations. This way, they can secure a “fair and square” trade agreement, according to the chief economic affairs minister. 

The Industry Ministry’s spokesman Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, recently commented on the US's counterfeit complaints. According to Febri, most of the fake goods sold in Indonesia are imports. In 2024, the ministry issued a regulation that mandated importers to have trademark certificates to be able to bring in foreign-made textiles, bags, and footwear to Indonesia. However, this short-lived policy was lifted after the Trade Ministry launched a regulation that aimed to ease import curbs that same year.

“As a result, importers did not have to submit a trademark certificate when they applied for an import permit to the Trade Ministry and the Industry Ministry. This certificate should have been a key filter that could prevent counterfeit imports from entering the Indonesian market,” Febri said on Tuesday.

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