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
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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