In local media in Indonesia it is reported that the Indonesian government, in this case the Trade Ministry of Indonesia, claims that Norway is on the brink of provoking a trade war against Indonesia. Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita threatens Norway with retaliation if the Norwegian government goes ahead with parliament's vote to ban the public procurement and use of palm oil-based biofuel.

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Enggartiasto Lukita, Indonesian Trade Minister, said the nation's full-year 2017 exports climbed 16.2 percent year-on-year (y/y) to USD $168.7 billion. This is a positive growth pace. However, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, expressed his anger at Minister Lukita as Indonesia's export performance (especially in terms of value) lags far behind its counterparts in the Southeast Asian region.

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The big news story today is that US tariffs on USD $34 billion worth of Chinese goods came into effect this morning (06/07). Considering China immediately imposed retaliatory tariffs on US imports, it means we are witnessing the start of the global trade war. There have been major concerns over simmering trade tensions ever since US President Donald Trump announced steep steel and aluminum tariffs back in late-February 2018. Now, however, the trade war has really arrived.

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