Despite a global drop in piracy incidents in the first half of 2013, Indonesia has experienced a 50 percent surge in pirate attacks to 43 incidents in the same period. Total worldwide pirate attacks in Semester I-2013 fell to 138 cases (from 177). The location where most incidents take place in Indonesia are the waters around the Riau province, particularly around the ports in Dumai and Belawan. "Within Southeast Asia, most of the attacks occur on Indonesian anchorages [not when ships are sailing]" according to the International Maritime Bureau.

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PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Indonesia Port Corporation in English but most widely known as Pelindo II), the state-owned enterprise that is involved in port and harbour services in ten Indonesian provinces, will choose its partner for the construction of terminal II and terminal III of the New Priok Port project from a selection of 12 companies. These companies can either opt to join the tender for the construction of one terminal, or, for both terminals together. At the end of the year, the winners of the tenders will be announced.

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Royal HaskoningDHV, a Netherlands-based international project management and engineering consultancy services provider, has won the contract to supervise the construction of the extension of the main port of Jakarta, Tanjung Priok. The contract is part of the New Kalibaru Terminal Development. The first phase includes the development of a new 4.5 million TEUs container terminal which aims to enhance the economic development of Indonesia and will bring Indonesia's port facilities on par with other world-class ports.

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PSA International (the Port of Singapore Authority) is one of the participants in the tender - organized by PT Pelindo II - for the construction of terminal two and three of the Kalibaru New Priok harbour in North Jakarta. According to the Director of Pelindo II, RJ Lino, there are 18 participants in the tender, of which the winner will probably be announced in September 2013. Companies can either opt to join the tender for the construction of both terminals, or, one of the two terminals.

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Indonesia's trade deficit narrowed slightly in January as there has been better demand from developed countries. However, Indonesian exports remain under pressure with persistent weak global demand. Moreover, higher crude oil prices increase the country's import costs. In addition to Indonesia's trade deficit, annual inflation increased to 5.31 percent in February due to rising food prices and higher electricity tariffs.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Indonesia on Sunday (06/05) for a two-day visit. Part of the visit was a meet up with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (at the Presidential Palace in Bogor) to discuss bilateral trade and investment. Key points on the agenda were the strengthening of trade between both nations and enhanced cooperation on infrastructure development projects in Indonesia, including dams and railways.

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Indonesia may file a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Vietnam's recent decision to tighten regulations related to car imports. Through Decree No. 116/2017/ND-CP on Overseas Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) (which has been in effect since 1 January 2018), Vietnam requires car exporters to obtain VTA certification first (from authorities in the exporting nation) before being allowed to export cars into Vietnam. This VTA details incoming vehicles' quality, safety and environmental protection.

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On Wednesday (18/04) Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto met Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Per Sandberg to discuss trade. In the meeting Hartarto requested easier access for several Indonesian products on the Norwegian market. For example, lower tariffs for textiles and footwear. Meanwhile, Indonesia also wants to keep access to Norway for products that are derived from palm oil. Recently, Norway's parliament voted to ban the public procurement and use of palm oil-based biofuel.

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At the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF), held on 10-11 April 2018 in Bali, Indonesia agreed to negotiate preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with three African countries: Mozambique, Morocco, and Tunisia. Trade talks are part of a strategy to widen Indonesia's export markets. Considering heightened concerns over global trade as the USA and China - the two biggest trade partners of Indonesia - are implementing tariffs, Indonesia seeks to tap new markets, hence reducing its dependence on traditional export markets thus reducing the impact of US-China related trade turmoil.

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In the April 2018 edition of its East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, the World Bank is cautiously optimistic about economic growth in developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP). After a better-than-expected global economy in 2017, growth in developing EAP is expected to remain stable in 2018, reflected by solid prospects in Thailand and several commodity exporters, notably Indonesia. Domestic demand is estimated to remain robust in most of the region's economies and continue to underpin growth in 2018 and beyond. However, with economies operating close to their potential, price pressures are expected to rise.

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have intensely discussed negotiations surrounding the creation of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). Both leaders met at the sidelines of a special summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in Sydney (Australia) this weekend.

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The trade balance of Indonesia showed another deficit in February 2018, the nation's third consecutive monthly trade deficit. Based on data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS), the country's total exports reached USD $14.1 billion in February, up 10.1 percent on a year-on-year (y/y) basis, while total imports grew 25.2 percent (y/y) to USD $14.2 billion.

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The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) said it expects to see another monthly trade deficit - approximately USD $230 million - in February 2018. If so, it would be the third straight monthly trade deficit for Southeast Asia's largest economy after a USD $220 million deficit in December 2017 and a USD $678 million deficit in January 2018 (the latter being the country's highest monthly deficit since April 2014).

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In line with the increase in domestic economic activity, Indonesia's trade balance recorded a USD $678 million deficit in January 2018. The deficit was particularly attributed to a shrinking surplus of the country's non-oil & gas trade balance. Although Indonesia's oil & gas deficit declined in the first month of 2018, it was not enough to offset the impact of the shrinking non-oil & gas surplus. Hence the country posted its second consecutive monthly trade deficit.

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Through Trade Ministry Regulation No. 82/2017 on the Terms of Use of National Shipping and Insurance Companies for the Export and Import of Certain Goods the Indonesian government requires exporters of crude palm oil (CPO), coal and rice to use ships that are owned by local sea transport companies as well as to use domestic insurance. This regulation will come into effect, gradually, per May 2018.

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