Seri Wawasan Bridge – a well-known landmark in Malaysia’s administrative capital, Putrajaya. VNA/VNS Photo Hằng Linh

KUALA LUMPUR — In Malaysia’s capacity as ASEAN Chair for 2025, under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) pillar, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz will chair a Special ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting on April 10 to discuss the US’s new reciprocal tariff imposition.

In its latest statement, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said that the meeting will discuss the broader implications of the US tariff measures on regional trade and investment flows, macro-economic stability, and ASEAN’s coordinated response to uphold the region’s economic interests and long-standing commitment to an open, fair, and rules-based trading system.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders will also meet to discuss the member states’ solutions to address and mitigate potential disruptions to regional trade, supply chain networks, and cross-border investments, the MITI said.

This is to ensure that ASEAN continues to be a stable, competitive, and attractive hub for global trade and investment.

The bloc’s Indochinese member states were the hardest hit by the tariffs, with Cambodia slapped with baseline and retaliatory tariffs totalling 49 per cent, followed by Laos (48 per cent), Việt Nam (46 per cent), and Myanmar (44 per cent).

Meanwhile, Thailand was hit with tariffs of 36 per cent, Indonesia 32 per cent, Brunei and Malaysia both at 24 per cent, the Philippines 17 per cent, and Singapore, a baseline tariff of 10 per cent. — VNS