Trump's tariffs may cast a pall over Rubio's first official trip to Asia
Trump on Monday sent notice to several countries about higher tariffs if they don't make trade deals with the U.S., including to a number of Asian countries. The move came just a day before Secretary of State Marco Rubio planned to depart for a Southeast Asian regional security conference in Malaysia.
Top diplomats and senior officials from at least eight countries that Trump has targeted for the new tariffs, which would go into effect on Aug. 1, will be represented at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur that Rubio will attend on Thursday and Friday.
State Department officials say tariffs and trade will not be Rubio's focus during the meetings, which the Trump administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and security in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors, as well as combating transnational crime.
However, Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has vexed some of America's closest allies and partners in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, which Trump says would face 25% tariffs absent a deal. Neither of those countries is a member of ASEAN but both will be represented at the meetings in Kuala Lumpur.
Rubio's "talking points on the China threat will not resonate with officials whose industries are being battered by 30-40% tariffs," said Danny Russel, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration.
"In fact, when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week said ASEAN will approach challenges 'as a united bloc' -- he wasn't talking about Chinese coercion, but about U.S. tariffs," Russel said.
Among ASEAN states, Trump has so far announced up to 40% tariffs on at least six of the 10 members of the bloc, including the meeting host Malaysia, which would face a 25% tariff mainly on electronics and electrical product imports to the United States.
Southeast Asian countries not yet targeted by the U.S. include Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, which recently agreed to a trade deal with Trump. The Trump administration has courted most Southeast Asian nations in a bid to blunt or at least temper China's push to dominate the region.
In Kuala Lumpur, Rubio also will likely come face-to-face with the foreign ministers of two of America's biggest adversaries: China and Russia. U.S. officials could not say if meetings with either are planned for the short time -- about 36 hours -- that Rubio will be in Malaysia.
Russel noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veteran of such gatherings and "fluent in ASEAN principles and conventions," while Rubio "is a rookie trying to sell an 'America First' message to a deeply skeptical audience."
Issues with both countries remain substantial, particularly over Ukraine.
Trump on Tuesday expressed his exasperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "I'm not happy with him, I can tell you that much right now" as Moscow ramps up attacks in Ukraine amid the American leader's push for a peace deal.
Trump also announced that the U.S. would resume providing Ukraine with defensive weapons after the Pentagon announced a surprise pause in some deliveries last week.
U.S. officials continue to accuse China of resupplying and revamping Russia's military industrial sector, allowing it to produce additional weapons with which it can attack Ukraine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Eyes Huge Market with China Set to Resume of Japanese Beef Imports; Japan Govt Hopes to Nearly Double Beef Exports by 2030
With China expected to resume importing Japanese beef, it is a huge step forward for the Japanese government, which aims to increase exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products. A Japan-China agreement on an animal health and quarantine took effect Friday, paving the way toward the resumption of Japanese beef exports to China. However, it is still uncertain when beef shipments to China will actually resume, as the two countries have to hold further discussions regarding product safety and quarantine procedures. China suspended imports of Japanese beef following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Japan in 2001. In November 2019, the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in animal health and quarantine, a necessary step before exporting livestock products. However, China did not take further steps to resume imports, so the agreement was not able to take effect. Ahead of resuming exports, Japan's food safety procedures need to be evaluated by China. It will also be necessary to finalize specific conditions for export products, such as the meat processing method and hygiene control. 'The conditions necessary to resume exports will depend on what the Chinese side asks for,' said an agriculture ministry official. 'It's still uncertain when we will be able to resume exports.' Japan's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products exceeded ¥1.5 trillion in 2024. The government set a goal to more than triple the figure to ¥5 trillion by 2030. While beef exports stood at ¥64.8 billion in 2024, the government hopes to almost double the figure to ¥113.2 billion by 2030. By country and region, the United States was the largest importer of Japanese beef at ¥13.4 billion in 2024, followed by Taiwan at ¥11.2 billion, Hong Kong at ¥8.4 billion and Cambodia at ¥6.7 billion. Exports of Japanese beef has nearly doubled compared to 2019 as a result of the surging global popularity of washoku Japanese cuisine. It has been pointed out that Japanese beef still reached China through Cambodia following China's suspension of its import. If China officially resumes importing Japanese beef, it will become possible for Japan to export the product directly to China, a massive market with a population of 1.4 billion. The resumption may drastically increase Japanese beef exports. 'As China has such a large population, there will be a high demand for Japanese beef,' said an official of the Japan Livestock Products Export Promotion Council.
Asahi Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Still no inkling on when beef exports to China will resume
Hiroshi Moriyama, center, the secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, greets Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Osaka on July 11. (Yoshinori Mizuno) Although Japan and China have cleared hurdles for a resumption of Japanese beef exports after a 24-year hiatus, it remains unclear when shipments will start. The two countries finally activated a key animal health and quarantine agreement on July 11. They ratified the accord in 2019. Officials in Tokyo noted that Beijing could yet again delay negotiations for political reasons. Thus, the latest development will only remove one major hurdle to the resumption of exports that have been stopped since 2001 following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), popularly known as mad cow disease. Hiroshi Moriyama, the secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met on July 11 in Osaka with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who said the animal quarantine agreement would go into effect that day. Moriyama also heads a multi-partisan group of lawmakers focused on Japan-China relations and after his meeting with He played up the agreement in a speech for an LDP candidate running in the July 20 Upper House election. '(The quarantine agreement) will lead to the resumption of exports to China for the first time in 24 years,' Moriyama said. Government sources said the LDP and prime minister's office had been pushing for diplomatic results that could help the party in the Upper House election campaign. China in late June agreed to resume seafood imports from Japan, except for 10 prefectures including Fukushima. It slapped a ban on imports in August 2023 after Japan began releasing tons of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean. On July 11, Beijing approved the registration of three Japanese companies for exporting seafood to China. Government sources also said He provided an optimistic appraisal to Moriyama about future loans of giant pandas to Japan. China's push to improve ties with Japan is clearly linked with the increasing confrontation orchestrated by U.S. President Donald Trump with his tariff trade wars. A former ambassador to China speculated that Beijing was attempting to pull Japan away from the U.S. orbit because of uncertainties surrounding the direction of U.S. policy toward China. But with surveys showing the LDP facing a drubbing in the Upper House election, China might have to recalibrate its policy toward Japan if the ruling coalition loses its majority in the Upper House and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is forced to resign. And with this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, China is planning to hold a range of events to mark its victory over Japan, which inevitably will be used for propaganda purposes. That could unleash another round of anti-Japan sentiment lingering from the country's military aggression in China in the years leading up to and during the war. (This article was written by Nen Satomi and Haruka Suzuki in Tokyo and Ryo Inoue in Beijing.)
The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
PM warns Japan should not be underestimated, stoking tariff concern
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's recent remark that Japan should not be "underestimated" by the United States is raising concerns among politicians and government officials at home about potential adverse effects on ongoing tariff negotiations. The comment, made during a stump speech for the July 20 House of Councillors election, is widely seen as an effort by Ishiba to emphasize his commitment to protecting national interests, with an eye toward his domestic audience and supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party. Still, it is unusual for a sitting Japanese prime minister to use such strong language toward the United States, a longtime security ally. Japan was among the first countries to begin bilateral negotiations with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariff policy. Trump announced earlier this week that he will impose a 25 percent tariff on Japan starting Aug. 1. "It's a battle where our national interests are at stake. Do not underestimate us. Even if it is an ally that we are negotiating with, we must say (what needs to be said) without hesitation," Ishiba said in front of supporters and others in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Wednesday. "We will protect what must be protected." Despite multiple rounds of ministerial talks and a face-to-face summit between Ishiba and Trump, Japan has yet to bridge differences with the United States, a key trading partner. Following Trump's announcement of a 25 percent tariff, Ishiba said Tuesday that his government will step up negotiations to reach a mutually beneficial deal by Aug. 1, the extended deadline. Ishiba's comment prompted an immediate reaction from opposition lawmakers, who have largely been taking a wait-and-see stance on how the government will engage in the bilateral tariff talks. "Even as a campaign strategy, using such strong words in the absence of the negotiating partner will be negative if Japan wants to advance negotiations smoothly. The comment will rather undermine our national interests," Yuichiro Tamaki, who heads the Democratic Party for the People, a small opposition force, told reporters. A source close to the Ishiba government said, the prime minister's remark "must have complicated the situation for the negotiators." Chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa, a close aide to Ishiba, has said he will accelerate talks with the United States toward reaching a "package" deal. Since the start of the negotiations, Japan has emphasized its contributions to the United States as an ally, highlighting investments by Japanese firms that have helped create jobs in the world's largest economy. But Trump, who sees the imposition of tariffs as an effective way to reduce his country's massive trade deficit with Japan, has appeared unfazed. He has taken issue with how Japan is not importing enough U.S. cars or rice, and claims that bilateral trade is not reciprocal. After his remark stirred reactions, Ishiba said on a TV program Thursday that he used the language to convey that Japan should step up efforts to reduce its dependence on the United States. "If their thinking is that we have to listen and follow what they say because we rely on them so much, we'd say, 'Don't look down on us,'" Ishiba said in reference to Japan's close security and economic ties. In addition to the proposed reciprocal tariff, a separate 25 percent import levy on Japanese cars is seen as a major stumbling block in the negotiations, given the importance of the auto sector in both countries. Automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. form the backbone of Japan's export-driven economy. Ahead of the upper house election, a must-win for Ishiba after losing majority control of the more powerful House of Representatives last October, he has repeatedly stressed that Japan will not make easy concessions. "It looks as if the comment has raised the bar (for bilateral negotiations)," Masahisa Sato, a senior lawmaker of Ishiba's LDP, who is a candidate seeking another term in the upper house, said in a social media post. "He should not have made such a comment during election campaigning," said Sato, who once served as a senior vice foreign minister.
