Latest news with #58thAseanForeignMinistersMeeting
The Star
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Rubio arrives at Subang Airport
KUALA LUMPUR: United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport to attend the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Malaysia's capital. This marks Rubio's first trip to Asia as America's top diplomat, and he arrived at approximately 7.53am. Rubio was welcomed by an entourage at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, also known as Subang airport. During his visit, Rubio is expected to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and attend the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference with the US on Thursday (July 10) evening. Rubio is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan at 4pm and he is expected to meet Anwar at 4.45pm. At 6pm, Rubio is also expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. On Friday (July 11), Rubio will participate in the 15th East Asia Foreign Ministers' meeting and the 32nd Asean Regional Forum (ARF). He is also anticipated to engage in bilateral meetings with Malaysian ministers during his stay. Prime Minister Anwar had indicated plans to discuss tariff issues with Rubio before a final decision is made by US President Donald Trump. On April 2, Trump announced tariffs on various countries, including a 24% tariff on Malaysia. The tariffs were paused for 90 days to allow for negotiations. On Monday, Trump announced varying tariff rates on 14 countries to take effect on Aug 1, including a 25% rate on Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Tunisia, and Kazakhstan. Other countries faced higher rates, such as Cambodia (36%), Thailand (36%), and 40% in Laos and Myanmar, respectively.
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Tariff negotiations with US will continue, says Anwar
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim delivers his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today. - Bernama --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED KUALA LUMPUR: Tariff negotiations between Malaysia and the United States will continue, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said Malaysia had sent teams to negotiate and explain the country's position. 'Ours is a trading nation and therefore, any unilateral tariffs will have a negative impact on the economy of this country and the region. 'We are still in the midst of these negotiations. ALSO READ: Trump's 25% tariff comes with a catch 'When I meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tomorrow (July 10), I will certainly raise some of these issues for his consideration, before the final decision by President Donald Trump,' he told reporters on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings here on Wednesday (July 9). Rubio will be traveling to Malaysia for meetings with Asean allies. ALSO READ: Tough duties ahead for exporters Malaysia was hit with a 25% tariff by the US, which is set to take effect beginning Aug 1. The rate is 1% more than the 24% imposed previously. Apart from Malaysia, other countries to be slapped with 25% tariffs included Japan, South Korea, Tunisia and Kazakhstan. Other countries hit with US tariffs include South Africa (30%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (30%), Indonesia (32%), Serbia, (35%) Bangladesh (35%), Cambodia (36%) and Thailand (36%) and 40% on Laos and Myanmar. Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Asia News Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Asia News Network
ASEAN's balancing act begins: US tariffs, China and Myanmar top agenda as Kuala Lumpur talks open
July 8, 2025 KUALA LUMPUR – As the international geopolitical and economic landscape grows increasingly uncertain, the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and related meetings which open today is set to play a key role. A highlight will be a dialogue session between Asean and the United States on Thursday, the day after US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on tariffs ends. Trump's latest warning to slap additional tariffs on countries aligning themselves with BRICS will be a key discussion point. ALSO READ: Papua New Guinea's Asean bid faces a long road On Sunday, the US president warned that any country that aligned itself with 'anti-American policies' of the BRICS economic bloc will face an additional 10% tariff. Indonesia is the sole Asean nation that is a full BRICS member, with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam having joined as partner countries last October. Universiti Malaya International and Strategic Studies Department Assoc Prof Dr Khoo Ying Hooi said the AMM will see Asean trying to hold itself together while navigating a messy geopolitical environment with Trump back in charge. 'The Asean-US dialogue will be closely watched with Trump's approach tending to be more transactional and less predictable,' she said. Amid the ongoing geopolitical rivalry between global superpowers, she expected China to likely use its presence at the AMM to present itself as a more stable and reliable partner. At the East Asia Summit and the Asean Regional Forum on Friday, Assoc Prof Khoo said we will probably see US-China rivalry play out more openly. 'Asean's responses might start to split, depending on each country's own alignment and economic interests,' she pointed out. Assoc Prof Khoo said the big question was whether Asean could take a stronger and more strategic position on tough issues involving Myanmar, the South China Sea and on economic resilience. 'In short, this AMM will really show us where Asean stands not just in terms of unity, but on how it is adjusting to a much more volatile and transactional global environment, especially with the US shifting gears again,' she added. The Myanmar issue will be high on the AMM agenda, given the heightened expectations on Asean with the civil war there ongoing for four years without meaningful progress, she said. 'There is only so much the region can keep repeating statements without follow-through,' she added. Asia West East Centre director and co-founder Abdolreza Alami said Trump's proposed tariffs on Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines poses a significant threat to Asean's export-driven economies. As such, he said US-Asean dialogue will be a vital platform for negotiations with American officials to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. Abdolreza said the region aimed to maintain neutrality and Asean centrality, and the separate dialogues with US and China will focus on balancing relations with both superpowers. 'The intensifying US-China competition, particularly in the South China Sea and technology, places Asean in a delicate position,' he added. Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at Taylor's University School of Law and Governance, said US tariffs will be a major point of discussion but Asean as a regional grouping 'held collective weight to address the tariff challenge.' 'Each country will share its response to the US tariff policy and they will see how Asean countries can align themselves,' she added. Roknifard expected the Myanmar crisis to be raised during the AMM with Malaysia heavily pushing for progress on that front. 'While the ability of Asean members to resolve the crisis is limited, they still want to keep the issue in discussion, in the hopes that keeping it high on the agenda will eventually have some effect on the Myanmar government,' she added. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the official AMM opening ceremony tomorrow upon his return from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he addressed the BRICS Summit. The four-day meet will include the South-East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission meeting, 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 32nd Asean Regional Forum. More than 10 Asean Post-Ministerial Conferences will be held, including meetings with China, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Japan, Russia, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom and the European Union.
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
US raises tariff on Malaysian goods to 25 pct, effective Aug 1
In a letter to Anwar posted on Truth Social account on Monday, Trump says 'the 25 per cent number is far less than what is needed to eliminate the trade deficit disparity we have with your country'. – AFP photo KUALA LUMPUR (July 8): The United States has imposed a higher tariff of 25 per cent on any and all Malaysian products sent into the country, separate from all sectoral tariffs, effective Aug 1, this year. This is one percentage point higher compared to what had been announced in April. In a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim posted on Truth Social account on Monday, US President Donald Trump said 'the 25 per cent number is far less than what is needed to eliminate the trade deficit disparity we have with your country'. However, the letter also said that there would be no tariff if Malaysia, or Malaysian companies, decide to build or manufacture products within the United States and that Washington 'will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely – in other words, in a matter of weeks'. Trump also said that if Malaysia decided to raise tariffs, the number that the country imposed will be added onto the 25 per cent that US is charging. Malaysia has been negotiating the US tariff with Washington since April, with the aim to lessen the 24 per cent tariff imposed earlier, with the latest talks held on June 18 this year. This announcement came ahead of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Asean-US post ministerial conference and other meetings of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting and related meetings starting today. donald trump lead malaysia Marco Rubio US tariff
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Asean balancing act begins
US tariffs, China and Myanmar to top agenda as KL talks open KUALA LUMPUR: As the international geopolitical and economic landscape grows increasingly uncertain, the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and related meetings which open today is set to play a key role. A highlight will be a dialogue session between Asean and the United States on Thursday, the day after US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on tariffs ends. Trump's latest warning to slap additional tariffs on countries aligning themselves with BRICS will be a key discussion point. ALSO READ: Papua New Guinea's Asean bid faces a long road On Sunday, the US president warned that any country that aligned itself with 'anti-American policies' of the BRICS economic bloc will face an additional 10% tariff. Indonesia is the sole Asean nation that is a full BRICS member, with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam having joined as partner countries last October. Universiti Malaya International and Strategic Studies Department Assoc Prof Dr Khoo Ying Hooi said the AMM will see Asean trying to hold itself together while navigating a messy geopolitical environment with Trump back in charge. 'The Asean-US dialogue will be closely watched with Trump's approach tending to be more transactional and less predictable,' she said. Amid the ongoing geopolitical rivalry between global superpowers, she expected China to likely use its presence at the AMM to present itself as a more stable and reliable partner. At the East Asia Summit and the Asean Regional Forum on Friday, Assoc Prof Khoo said we will probably see US-China rivalry play out more openly. 'Asean's responses might start to split, depending on each country's own alignment and economic interests,' she pointed out. Assoc Prof Khoo said the big question was whether Asean could take a stronger and more strategic position on tough issues involving Myanmar, the South China Sea and on economic resilience. 'In short, this AMM will really show us where Asean stands not just in terms of unity, but on how it is adjusting to a much more volatile and transactional global environment, especially with the US shifting gears again,' she added. The Myanmar issue will be high on the AMM agenda, given the heightened expectations on Asean with the civil war there ongoing for four years without meaningful progress, she said. 'There is only so much the region can keep repeating statements without follow-through,' she added. Asia West East Centre director and co-founder Abdolreza Alami said Trump's proposed tariffs on Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines poses a significant threat to Asean's export-driven economies. As such, he said US-Asean dialogue will be a vital platform for negotiations with American officials to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. Abdolreza said the region aimed to maintain neutrality and Asean centrality, and the separate dialogues with US and China will focus on balancing relations with both superpowers. 'The intensifying US-China competition, particularly in the South China Sea and technology, places Asean in a delicate position,' he added. Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at Taylor's University School of Law and Governance, said US tariffs will be a major point of discussion but Asean as a regional grouping 'held collective weight to address the tariff challenge.' 'Each country will share its response to the US tariff policy and they will see how Asean countries can align themselves,' she added. Roknifard expected the Myanmar crisis to be raised during the AMM with Malaysia heavily pushing for progress on that front. 'While the ability of Asean members to resolve the crisis is limited, they still want to keep the issue in discussion, in the hopes that keeping it high on the agenda will eventually have some effect on the Myanmar government,' she added. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the official AMM opening ceremony tomorrow upon his return from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he addressed the BRICS Summit. The four-day meet will include the South-East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission meeting, 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 32nd Asean Regional Forum. More than 10 Asean Post-Ministerial Conferences will be held, including meetings with China, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Japan, Russia, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom and the European Union.
