Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairwoman Shinta Kamdani told The Jakarta Post on Monday that, for businesses, speed was not the most important thing in bilateral economic relationships.

“Sure, businesses want certainty, but [certainty] is built on the foundation of mutual respect and sovereign equality, which will be far more sustainable than a rushed deal,” Shinta said, arguing that what Jakarta was doing was “being thorough”.

Indonesia is among the first countries that negotiated and secured a handshake deal with the US government on the so-called “reciprocal” US import tariffs. A joint statement outlining the framework agreement between Jakarta and Washington was published by the White House in July.

However, the bilateral talks have not yet materialized in a formal agreement, as the two sides are still in the process of legal drafting to iron out details, such as which Indonesian commodities may be exempted from the steep US tariff.

Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who heads Indonesia’s delegation in the talks, said in September that a formal agreement was expected to be signed by the end of this month, but last week he said the deadline had been pushed back to December on account of the US government shutdown.

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