Indonesia eyes hefty tariffs on China as businesses decry cheap imports
Al Jazeera
Jakarta is proposing 200 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, citing the United States’ policies as an inspiration.
Medan, Indonesia – Siti Faiza has run Faiza’s Production House, a traditional women’s wear business, in Solo, Central Java since 2008.
Faiza started her business as a university student, designing and sewing garments herself at home.
When sales began to take off, Faiza recruited some of her neighbours to help scale up the business. Today, Faiza’s Production House employs 12 tailors.
Still, Faiza says it is a struggle to compete with cheaper garments imported from overseas, particularly China.
“Sometimes I see imported clothes online at such low prices, like 40,000 rupiah ($2.65). That would not even cover the cost of my fabric and I always wonder how the prices can be so low,” Faiza told Al Jazeera.
