Jakarta. Indonesia has said that the reported plans of the US government to close its Medan consulate will not spark a shift in relations.

Media reports, citing the US State Department's notices to the Congress, revealed that such closure was underway. The missions in Japan's Nagoya and Canada's Winnipeg are also likely to end their operations.

To the Jakarta Globe, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said that the government was “closely following” the reports.

According to Yvonne, Jakarta has not received any formal notification from the US embassy regarding the plan.

“Indonesia respects internal decisions made by the US government regarding how they manage their diplomatic missions and consulates,” Yvonne said on Tuesday evening.

“The US government's decision will not affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have been strong thus far.”

A US State Department spokesperson did not confirm nor deny when asked by the Globe in a separate e-mail interview if the Medan post closure was in the pipeline. The spokesperson wrote that the department was “focused on ensuring [its] diplomatic footprint is efficient, effective, and delivers results for the American people.”

The US has operated a consulate in the North Sumatran capital since 1949, among others, to bring the two countries’ businesses closer together. The city is also home to a Chinese consulate.

Indonesia-US ties have had their highs and lows following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump’s tariff threats had sparked panic and prompted Jakarta to sign a deal that economists widely view as being one-sided. The Trump government had repeatedly defended the tariff measures as a necessary way to narrow the yawning trade gap.

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