ASEAN Members to Tackle Trump Tariffs as a Bloc, Malaysia Says

Southeast Asian nations will present a unified front in response to US tariffs and other challenges, including Myanmar’s ongoing four-year civil war, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, Eileen Ng reported for the Associated Press (AP).

ASEAN has formed a task force to coordinate a collective response to the US tariffs, while some member countries also pursue bilateral talks. I Photo: Anwar Ibrahim Facebook

Opening the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Anwar—whose country currently chairs ASEAN—said he is seeking a joint meeting with US President Donald Trump to address the tariff issue. Officials hope the meeting can take place later this year.

“For ASEAN, our peace, stability, and prosperity have often depended on an open, inclusive, rules-based international order… These foundations are now being dismantled under the force of arbitrary action,” Anwar said.

He added that ASEAN has formed a task force to coordinate a collective response to the US tariffs, while some member countries also pursue bilateral talks.

ASEAN includes major economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

The region, which relies heavily on exports to the US, has been hit hard by the Trump administration’s tariffs, which range from 10% for Singapore to as high as 49% for Cambodia.