Indonesia's trade balance surplus hits 60-month low

The Trade Minister recently revealed that Indonesia's balance of trade surplus in goods has shrunk significantly to a 60-month low.On the one hand, the decline in exports is the main reason, firstly due to the US tariff policy and secondly due to the Ramadan holiday factor. The impact of Trump's tariff policy was also discussed at the ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting, which has not only caused Indonesia's exports to the U.S. to decline, but also to other countries, with many exporters on the sidelines. On the other hand imports have surged, especially from China. But he said there was no indication that this was due to Trump's policy of diverting exports from China to Indonesia. China remains Indonesia's largest trading partner, and Indonesia's exports to China are high. According to the Central Statistical Office (BPS), Indonesia's trade surplus in April 2025 was only $160 million, with the pressure stemming from a surge in imports in the non-oil and gas sector, which grew by nearly 30% annually. exports in April totaled $20.74 billion, up by 5.76% year-on-year, while imports of $20.59 billion soared 21.84% year-on-year, with non-oil and gas imports surging 29.86% China is the main source of Indonesia's non-hydrocarbon imports, accounting for 39.48%.