Malaysia’s Anwar vows Asean-wide challenge to Trump’s tariff wall

Malaysia’s Anwar vows Asean-wide challenge to Trump’s tariff wall

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Malaysia will lead efforts to coordinate a regional response in Southeast Asia toward US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the country’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.

“Malaysia, as Asean chair, will lead efforts to present a united regional front, maintain open and resilient supply chains, and ensure Asean’s collective voice is heard clearly and firmly on the international stage,” Anwar said during a video address posted on his social media channels late on Sunday.

In a separate post, Anwar said he had a call with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on a collective response by the region. The Malaysian leader also discussed the tariffs with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who flew in on Sunday evening, Anwar said in another Facebook post.

We must acknowledge that this round of sweeping tariffs may just be the beginning

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – a grouping of 10 countries in the region – are among those hardest hit by US tariffs. Vietnam and Cambodia were slapped with 46 per cent and 49 per cent tariff rates, respectively, by the Trump administration, while Malaysia received a 24 per cent rate.

Like its regional peers, Malaysia opted not to retaliate against the tariffs while seeking engagement, but has refuted the Trump administration’s claim that it imposes a 47 per cent tariff on US goods.

Anwar said the government had set up a geoeconomic command centre and efforts were already under way to engage the US to find a “mutually acceptable solution”. He said the nation’s response would be “calm, firm and guided by Malaysia’s national interests”.

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He reiterated earlier assertions that the country would not enter into a recession due to the tariffs, but said the government might review its gross domestic product growth targets for this year should the tariffs come into effect on April 9.



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