These trade-dependent economies are looking forward to insulate themselves after the U.S. President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing a slew of levies targeting countries around the world, then paused most for 90 days. Southeast Asian leaders expressed “deep concern” over U.S. tariffs Tuesday as they held a summit with China and Gulf states hailed as “a response to the call of the times” in a geopolitically uncertain world.
The ASEAN summit was held under the shadow of sweeping new U.S. tariffs, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressing concern over “increasingly complex and sobering global developments.” Anwar, whose country currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said at the meeting’s outset that the global trading system is “under further strain, with the recent imposition of U.S. unilateral tariffs,” with the duties ranging from 10 percent to 49 percent to hit the regional grouping’s 10 members. In an apparent effort to negotiate on the tariffs as a region in addition to bilateral talks that some member countries have begun with Washington, Anwar said he had written to U.S. President Donald Trump to propose an ASEAN-U.S. meeting.
The leaders showed their deep concern over “unilateral tariff measures” without explicitly mentioning the United States, as their countries, like others, are facing Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. The leaders warned that unilateral tariffs pose “complex and multidimensional challenges to ASEAN’s economic growth, stability and integration,” reaffirming the regional bloc’s commitment to a “nondiscriminatory multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core. Following Trump’s announcement of the tariffs, ASEAN trade ministers held a special virtual meeting in April and said they would not retaliate, which Malaysian trade minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz characterized as a prudent stance that has averted an escalation of trade tensions.
Setting the tone ahead of the summit, the ASEAN trade and foreign ministers met separately in the Malaysian capital. Besides tariffs, the ongoing civil war in Myanmar, following a coup in February 2021 that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, was on the summit agenda. Anwar said that ASEAN has been able to take “positive steps” within an informal advisory group that he launched by requesting former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to serve as an adviser.
Further, humanitarian assistance for Myanmar, the central region of which was hit by an earthquake on March 28 that killed over 3,700 people, was stressed. In addition, the leaders called for greater international financial support.
From Myanmar, Aung Kyaw Moe, permanent secretary of its Foreign Ministry, participated in the summit as ASEAN has only allowed attendance by a nonpolitical representative from the country since October 2021, effectively excluding the junta chief.
Other issues discussed included East Timor’s accession to ASEAN. The leaders agreed the country, currently an observer, will gain full membership in October, Milena Rangel, vice minister for ASEAN affairs of East Timor’s foreign ministry, told reporters after the summit.
