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US Wins Major Trade Dispute with Indonesia


FILE - A ship is unloaded at New Priok Container Terminal One in Tanjung Priok, north Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 16, 2016.
FILE - A ship is unloaded at New Priok Container Terminal One in Tanjung Priok, north Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 16, 2016.

The United States has won a major trade dispute with Indonesia, scoring a victory for American farmers and ranchers.

The World Trade Organization found Thursday that what the U.S. said were unfair trade restrictions did break WTO rules.

The Obama administration took 18 separate claims to the disputes panel and won all of them.

"Today's panel report will help eliminate unjustified trade restrictions on American agricultural products, allowing U.S. farmers to sell their high-quality products to customers in Indonesia, the fourth-most populous country in the world," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said Thursday.

The U.S., along with New Zealand, argued that Indonesia had illegally put up trade barriers and tariffs that made it extremely hard, if not impossible, to export fruit, vegetables, beef and poultry to a market of 250 million.

The WTO found that Indonesia was unable to justify its restrictions on imported goods.

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