KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 – US secretary of state Marco Rubio joined his Southeast Asian counterparts in Malaysia on Thursday, with US tariffs and China’s growing influence in the region likely to dominate talks, AFP reported.
Rubio’s arrival in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of Asean foreign ministers came after US president Donald Trump ramped up his trade war this week.
US officials said ahead of the trip that Washington was “prioritising” its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia.
But Trump has also threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with punitive duties ranging from 20% to 50%, and announced a 50% toll on copper imports and a possible 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Asia’s top diplomats yesterday of a new era where tariffs were among the “sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry”.
“This is no passing storm, it is a new weather of our time,” Anwar said as the meeting of the 10-nation bloc got underway.
Trump said Monday that the duties he had suspended in April would snap back – even more steeply – on Aug 1.
Among those targeted were top trade partners Japan and South Korea, which each face 25% tariffs.
Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar – all Asean members – face duties ranging from 20% to 40% if they do not strike deals with Washington by Trump’s new deadline.
