Asean readies for Trump’s tariff tantrums, trade turmoil
South-east Asian nations have staked their claim in several economic blocs that exclude the US, leaving the world’s largest economy at risk of losing sway over the region’s economic future
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SOUTH-EAST Asia is bracing for impact as US President Donald Trump’s dreaded tariffs make a comeback. But this time, the region is better prepared – armed with stronger trade ties and broader economic alliances to shield itself from a full-blown fallout.
Since the first Trump administration in 2017, Asean member nations diversified their trading partners, intensified ties with other economic blocs and jacked up intra-regional transactions.
“This is exactly what they should be doing,” said Stephen Olson, a visiting senior fellow of the regional economic studies programme at Singapore’s Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute.
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