‘Southeast Asian nations to discuss tariffs with Trump as unified bloc’

Kuala Lumpur: Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges including economic headwinds from US 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 is seeking a

unified bloc meeting with US 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 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 ones like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The region relies on exports to the U.S. and is hurt by the Trump administration’s tariffs, which range

from 10% for Singapore to as high as 49% for Cambodia. Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs in April for most of the world, and this month struck a similar deal with key rival China, easing trade war tensions.

Anwar said an ASEAN leaders’ meeting on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Gulf Cooperation Council — the first such tripartite meeting — would spur new cooperation that could help insulate ASEAN’s economy.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The bloc later Monday will launch a new 20-year vision to deepen their economic and social integration, Anwar said.