Southeast Asian nations want to discuss tariffs with Trump as a unified bloc, Malaysia PM says

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Southeast Asian nations want to discuss tariffs with Trump as a unified bloc, Malaysia PM says

By EILEEN NG
Updated 12:59 AM EDT, May 26, 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges including economic headwinds from U.S. tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday.

Opening an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Anwar said he has sought a unified bloc meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the tariffs. Officials are hopeful it could happen later this year. Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN.

“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.

ASEAN, which has agreed to avoid retaliatory measures, has formed a taskforce to coordinate a response to the U.S. tariffs in parallel with bilateral negotiations by some member countries, Anwar said. ASEAN members include bigger economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/malaysia-asean-tariffs-myanmar-trump-trade-73fcfea4374873da1591ae5aba68656b