PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia, as the chair of Asean this year, will focus on deepening regional economic ties following the announcement of US tariffs on member nations, and on leading them in engaging Washington in talks to reduce the retaliatory tariffs on imports into America.
Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said Asean would work through US institutions to reduce the tariffs, which he described as deterrents to global trade.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Asean Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting next week, he said while countries around the world were still assessing the implications of the tariffs on their respective economies, Asean member states had shown unity in adopting a non-retaliatory stance and working towards an amicable solution.