Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa expressed optimism that the trade probe by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will not affect Indonesia’s trade prospects.He said such investigations are common in international trade relations and therefore do not warrant concern.”I think it's fine (a trade investigation). Investigations are commonplace,” he spoke to reporters when met in his office on Friday.According to him, Indonesia still holds a comparative advantage in trade with the United States, mainly because Indonesian goods are priced more competitively than American products.This situation is also supported by lower labor costs, which gives Indonesia a unique competitive edge, he added. These factors have contributed to Indonesia maintaining a trade surplus with the United States.Regarding the potential for tariff increases, which are often associated with a country's trade surplus with the US, Purbaya stated that Indonesia would not be significantly impacted if tariff increases were applied equally to other countries.However, the situation would be different if the tariffs imposed on Indonesia were higher than those imposed on peer countries. A significant tariff gap, for instance of around 10 percent, could potentially put pressure on Indonesian exports.Furthermore, the minister also confirmed his readiness to implement efficiency measures if necessary.“We will pursue other efficiency measures if it becomes necessary. However, the outlook ahead should not require much of that, even with the USTR investigation,” he said.The US government on Wednesday (March 11) launched a trade investigation into alleged unfair practices against Indonesia, Japan, and dozens of other trading partners, after the US Supreme Court struck down high import tariffs.US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the investigation aims to uncover “a series of unfair trade practices related to excess capacity and manufacturing production” as part of efforts to potentially impose new import tariffs.