US tariff hikes, Myanmar war and sea disputes will top ASEAN summit agenda

Putrajaya: The civil war in Myanmar, maritime disputes in the South China Sea and US tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

The meeting in Malaysia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and

leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The GCC already has strong links with the US and “wants to be close to China too,” Anwar said. “We want to have that synergy to enhance trade investments, more effective collaboration,” Anwar said in a media briefing late Wednesday.

ASEAN countries, many which rely on exports to the US, have been hit by US tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to 49 per cent. US President Donald Trump last month announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs, prompting countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to swiftly begin trade negotiations with Washington.

Anwar said the US has promised to review Malaysia’s case “sympathetically.” He said ASEAN is also working together to see how it can negotiate with the US as a bloc. At the same time, he said that ASEAN must build its economic resilience by deepening links with other partners such as China, India and the European Union. Anwar said the US-China rivalry would not split the bloc as the region continues to engage both superpowers. He also downplayed territorial disputes between ASEAN members and China in the South China

Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety,

and Myanmar’s conflict since the 2021 military takeover.

Anwar met last month with Myanmar military chief Gen Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and held virtual talks with the opposition National Unity Government.