Leaders of Indonesia and Peru hold talks on trade and economic ties

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Peruvian President Dina Boluarte met her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Monday during a visit aimed at strengthening economic ties as the two countries look to expand into new markets to overcome geopolitical challenges and rising trade barriers.

The talks came just four days after U.S. President Donald Trump began imposing higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday, including a 19% rate on Indonesia. Imports from Peru are paying the 10% baseline rate Trump set in April.

Boluarte arrived in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon, following an invitation Subianto extended when the two leaders met at the APEC Summit in Peru in November 2024.

The two-day visit is aimed at deepening Peru’s ties with Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, after the two nations concluded negotiations which began in May 2024 on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA.

Subianto hosted Boluarte with a ceremony at Merdeka palace before the two leaders held a closed-door bilateral meeting.

“The CEPA is a testament to the determination of our governments to promote freer trade and strengthen our economies,” Boluarte said in a joint news conference with Subianto after the meeting, adding that the deal can promote the exchange of goods and lay the groundwork for future agreements.

Subianto praised the seriousness of both governments in reaching an agreement in just 14 months, while similar trade deals with other countries take years.

“This agreement will expand market access and increase trade activities between our two countries,” Subianto said. No details about the agreement have been provided, but Subianto described the pact as “the most significant trade cooperation agreement” in the history of the two countries.

He said the signing also coincided with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia-Peru diplomatic ties.

Subianto said Indonesia and Peru also agreed to cooperate in the fields of food, mining and energy consumption, as well as fisheries and defense. He conveyed Indonesia’s readiness to support the partnership between the Association of Southeast Asia Nations and Peru.

Boluarte said Indonesia has become a key partner for Peru in Southeast Asia, and said her visit to the fourth most populous country in the world was an excellent moment to reaffirm their commitment to full observance of international law, free trade, South-South cooperation, food security and sustainable development.

While Indonesian consumers are already enjoying Peruvian quinoa, “I am pleased to announce the access of Peruvian blueberries to the Indonesian market,” Boluarte said.

“The CEPA deal with Peru is a potential gateway for Indonesian goods and services to enter markets in Central and South America,” said Indonesia's trade minister, Budi Santoso, “We hope the deal can strengthen Indonesia’s trade presence in the region.”

His ministry's data showed the country’s total trade with Peru went down from $554.2 million in 2022 to $444.4 million the following year, while Indonesia enjoyed a $290.4 million trade surplus in 2023, driven by major exports including vehicles, footwear and biodiesel.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of a cooperation agreement on eradicating narcotics and illegal trafficking.

During her visit on Monday, Boluarte also met with Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani and ASEAN’s Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. She shared Peru’s commitment to strengthening relations, cooperation, and partnership with ASEAN member countries.

Indonesia is currently seeking membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Peru is part of, to boost export growth.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, second left, speaks during a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto, unseen, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, second left, meets with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto, second right, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, right, and Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto greet children waving Indonesian and Peruvian flags during a welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, right, gives a love symbol at children waving Indonesian and Peruvian flags as his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto looks on during a welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.

“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.

It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.

Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.

While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.

NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.

The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule being taken into the recovery vessel after crew members re entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Mike Fincke getting helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows Russian astronaut Oleg Platonov being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Zena Cardman being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)