Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government is continuing consultations with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to secure more competitive tariff rates after Indonesia was subject to a 10 percent tariff under the Section 301 investigation.The tariff is part of an interim determination in the Office of the US Trade Representative's Section 301 probe into imports linked to forced labor, with a final decision still pending.”The Indonesian government has noted the USTR's recognition that Indonesia is actively committed to preventing and eliminating forced labor through an established regulatory framework,” Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Spokesperson Haryo Limanseto said Friday.He said Indonesia has cooperated throughout the investigation, which covers excess manufacturing capacity and restrictions on goods produced through forced labor.The government participated through written submissions, public hearings and government-to-government consultations, Limanseto said.The USTR imposed tariffs following its Section 301 investigation covering 60 countries and territories.Indonesia is among 17 countries and territories facing an additional 10 percent tariff, alongside Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.”We are also closely monitoring the USTR's designation of several Indonesian products for inclusion on the product exemption list,” Limanseto said.The US is expected to announce the outcome of its excess-capacity investigation soon, with Indonesia awaiting the decision while seeking a more favorable tariff treatment.Jakarta also wants Indonesian products covered by exemptions under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade to retain those benefits.”We are actively consulting with the USTR to secure the most competitive tariff rates possible,” Limanseto said.To cushion the impact, Indonesia plans to simplify raw-material import rules to reduce production costs and strengthen export competitiveness.The government is also expanding market access by maximizing existing trade agreements, including IA-CEPA, IK-CEPA and RCEP, while pursuing the I-EAEU FTA, IEU-CEPA and ICA-CEPA to diversify exports beyond the US market.The United States began imposing new tariffs Friday ranging from 10 percent to 12.5 percent on imports from 60 major trading partners, including China, Japan and the European Union.Washington said the measures target countries deemed to have done too little to prevent imports made with forced labor.According to the USTR, the targeted economies account for about 99 percent of total US imports.The European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland face combined tariff rates of 10 percent or 12.5 percent, including existing most-favored-nation duties, while the remaining 38 countries, including China, are subject to 12.5 percent tariffs.