The Legal Dilemma of the 19% Reciprocal Tariff between the Republic of Indonesia (RI) and the United States (US): A Critical Review and Bilateral Policy Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35335/legal.v14i5.1492Keywords:
Economic Diplomacy, International Law, Most Favored Nation (MFN), International Trade, Mutual TariffsAbstract
Trade between Indonesia and the United States plays a strategic role in maintaining economic stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The change in the joint tariff policy, especially when the US tariff is set at 32% and then lowered to 19%, reflects the complex dynamics between national economic interests and obligations of International Law (IL). This paper is a law that the Indonesian government can use to respond to United States (US) retaliatory tariffs and also review its compliance with international trade principles, such as Most Favored Nation (MFN), National Treatment (NT), It was a negotiation of goodwill within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994. This study was normative by a conceptual and comparative approach to International Law (IL). The data was obtained through a literature study of legislation rules, scientific journals, and official statements of the public. Research results show that the application of reciprocal tariffs in the United States (US) has the potential to violate the principle of non-discrimination and development in bilateral trade. The bilateral settlement through diplomacy is considered the most effective step in maintaining trade stability while protecting the legitimacy of Indonesian law at the international level, emphasizing the importance of a balance between personal protection and compliance with international law in trade formulation. The improvement of law-based economic diplomacy and institutional coordination is key to ensuring that Indonesia's tariff policy remains balanced, credible, and sustainable
Downloads
References
Al Rasyid, B. D., Pratama, M. J. P., Al Hapiz, M. Y., & Handayani, S. (2025). Analisis Efektivitas Langkah-langkah Indonesia dalam Menghadapi Kebijakan Kenaikan Tarif Resiprokal Amerika Serikat oleh Presiden Donald Trump. Jurnal Riset Multidisiplin Edukasi, 2(4), 137–149.
Antara News. (2025, July 8). Wamendag: Tarif impor AS 32 persen ke RI masih proses negosiasi. Antara News. https://www.antaranews.com/berita/4950905/wamendag-tarif-impor-as-32-persen-ke-ri-masih-proses-negosiasi
Bagwell, K., & Staiger, R. W. (2021). Reciprocity and the WTO: An Economic Perspective, American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 13. 4.
Bogdanor, V. (2012). Imprisoned by a doctrine: The modern defence of parliamentary sovereignty. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 32(1), 179–195.
Bown, C. P., & Irwin, D. A. (2015). The GATT’s starting point: Tariff levels circa 1947. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w21782
Hafizd, J. Z., Janwari, Y., & Al-Hakim, S. (2024). Kebijakan fiskal di Indonesia: Analisis hukum keadilan ekonomi dan implikasi bagi pembangunan berkelanjutan. IQTISHOD: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Hukum Ekonomi Syariah, 3(2), 146–167.
Kemenko Perekonomian RI. (2025). Sepakati Tarif Baru 19% dengan Amerika Serikat, Jadi Huge Wins Untuk Industri Padat Karya Indonesia. https://ekon.go.id/publikasi/detail/6475/sepakati-tarif-baru-19-dengan-amerika-serikat-jadi-huge-wins-untuk-industri-padat-karya-indonesia
Latifah, E. (2015). Eksistensi Prinsip-Prinsip Keadilan Dalam Sistem Hukum Perdagangan Internasional. PADJADJARAN Jurnal Ilmu Hukum (Journal of Law), 2(1). https://jurnal.unpad.ac.id/pjih/article/view/7174
Lawder, D., & Shalal, A. (2025, July 23). Indonesia to cut tariffs, non-tariff barriers in US trade deal. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-cut-tariffs-non-tariff-barriers-us-trade-deal-2025-07-22/
Ligustro, A., & Buccarella, M. (2024). The WTO Condemns Trump’s Tariffs on Steel and Aluminium, but Biden Condemns the WTO. Journal of World Trade, 58(1). https://kluwerlawonline.com/journalarticle/Journal+of+World+Trade/58.1/TRAD2024006
Linda, B. (2022). Kajian Hukum Internasional Terhadap Negara Yang Melanggar Prinsip-Prinsip WTO (World Trade Organization). Lex Privatum, 10(4). https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/index.php/lexprivatum/article/view/42399
Lubis, F., Ayuni, N. P., Indah, D. V., Purba, N. Z., Ibadurrahman, T., & Maliha, Z. (2025). Kajian Asas-Asas Equality Before The Law Dalam Praktik Peradilan Perdata. Innovative: Journal Of Social Science Research, 5(3), 5390–5406.
Mandalika, M. S., & Muaja, V. D. (2025). Analisis Hukum terhadap Dampak Pengenaan Tarif 32% oleh Amerika Serikat terhadap Perdagangan Indonesia: Tinjauan Perjanjian Perdagangan Internasional dan Kebijakan Ekonomi. ALADALAH: Jurnal Politik, Sosial, Hukum Dan Humaniora, 3(2), 173–187.
Muhtar, M. H., Maranjaya, A. K., Arfiani, N., & Rahim, E. (2023). Teori & hukum konstitusi: Dasar pengetahuan dan pemahaman serta wawasan pemberlakuan hukum konstitusi di Indonesia. PT. Sonpedia Publishing Indonesia. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=t2HlEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Dalam+sistem+kenegaraan+yang+menganut+prinsip+konstitusionalisme,+konstitusi+berfungsi+sebagai+acuan+utama+yang+membatasi+ruang+lingkup+kedaulatan+parlemen&ots=otZEhmWXlm&sig=ZMAtJPVzEslMEVL_LfBFRmKQC6s
Noermawati, I. R. (2025). Implikasi Tarif Impor Sepihak Amerika Serikat terhadap Sistem Hukum Perdagangan Multilateral dan Dampaknya bagi Indonesia [PhD Thesis, Universitas Islam Indonesia]. https://dspace.uii.ac.id/handle/123456789/58256
Nurcahyani, D. L., & Ilmih, A. A. (2025). Mengkaji Tarif Resiprokal USA dalam Perspektif Hukum Perdagangan Internasional dan Penyelesaian Melalui Jalur Diplomasi.
Prestwich, M. F. (1955). Towards a new concept of parliamentary sovereignty? Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory, 115–120.
Soekanto, S. (2006). Pengantar penelitian hukum. (No Title). https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130000798017116160
Suratman, D. (2015). Metode penelitian hukum. (No Title). https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130000795948470016
Syah, M. (2023). Judicial Preview sebagai Proses Pelaksanaan Checks and Balances dalam Pembentukan Undang-Undang yang Responsif [PhD Thesis, IAIN Parepare]. https://repository.iainpare.ac.id/id/eprint/8450/
The Economic Times. (2025). What is Reciprocal Tariff? Definition of Reciprocal Tariff, Reciprocal Tariff Meaning—The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/reciprocal-tariff?from=mdr
The White House. (2025a, April 10). Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Trading Partner Retaliation and Alignment. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/modifying-reciprocal-tariff-rates-to-reflect-trading-partner-retaliation-and-alignment/
The White House. (2025b, July 22). Joint Statement on Framework for United States-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/07/joint-statement-on-framework-for-united-states-indonesia-agreement-on-reciprocal-trade/
Wibowo, A. (2025). Hukum Dagang Internasional. Penerbit Yayasan Prima Agus Teknik. https://penerbit.stekom.ac.id/index.php/yayasanpat/article/view/577
Zartman, I. W., & Rubin, J. Z. (2000). The study of power and the practice of negotiation. Power and Negotiation, 3–28.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 LEGAL BRIEF
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
