Govt Believes IJEPA Could Help Reduce Trade Deficit

IJEPA is Indonesia's first bilateral free-trade agreement. (Photo:MI/Ramdani)

Jakarta: Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Arifin Tasrif has that the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) could help reduce the country's trade deficit.

"We are trying to boost our exports. IJEPA has come into effect since 2008." he told reporters on Sunday.

"We are still negotiating a number of issues. We hope that the renegotiation process could be completed this year," he added.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesian exports reached US$180.06 billion in 2018. The number increased by 6.65 percent compared to the previous year.

In the meantime, Indonesian non-oil and gas exports reached US$162.65 billion last year. The number increased by 6.25 percent compared to the previous year.

IJEPA is Indonesia's first bilateral free-trade agreement. Japan is one of Indonesia's top trading partners.

(WAH)

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