Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has finally set foot in the US for the highly anticipated talks with his American counterpart Donald Trump.

The president’s aircraft landed at the Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday at noon local time. Prabowo and Trump are expected to sign a landmark trade deal, after months-long negotiations of Jakarta trying to escape sky-high tariffs. Prabowo will join other leaders, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting later this week.

“This visit is part of President Prabowo’s hands-on active diplomacy to improve the economic chain and domestic industrial productivity,” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said Wednesday.

Expectations are soaring high for the upcoming tariff deal. As per the latest government updates, Washington has dropped the tariff rate on Indonesian goods from 32% to 19%. Palm oil — of which Indonesia is abundant in — will get import tax exemptions. In November 2025, Trump had already signed an executive order that freed agricultural products like cocoa and coffee from the tariffs. The deal also benefits Washington as it will gain major tariff eliminations and access to Indonesia’s critical minerals.

Business lobby Apindo’s chairwoman Shinta Kamdani recently told the press that the Indonesian private sector was hoping for the best as the signing nears.

“Fingers crossed so our labor-intensive sectors can get better tariffs,” Shinta said at the time as footwear and apparel made up quite a huge chunk of Indonesia’s US-bound exports.

Senior government official Haryo Limanseto has said that Jakarta remains hopeful for “positive surprises” in the deal.

Beyond trade, the Trump-led Board of Peace for Gaza now makes up quite a significant part of Indonesia’s relations with Washington. Jakarta has drawn flak for joining the board that also has Israel as a member. The government has repeatedly stated this move was part of its efforts to back the Palestinian statehood. Fundraising will likely be a central theme in the upcoming board meeting, with Trump claiming that the group had amassed over $5 billion in financial pledges for Gaza reconstruction.

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