Malaysia to chair special Asean meeting on Thursday as US tariffs rattle region

[KUALA LUMPUR & JAKARTA] Malaysia will chair a special Asean Economic Ministers’ meeting on Thursday (Apr 10) to address the impact of newly imposed US tariffs on regional trade and investment, and to coordinate a collective response, said its Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz on Monday.

The move follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Apr 2 of reciprocal tariffs, including a 24 per cent levy on Malaysian goods.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) has set up a task force to assess the fallout and gather feedback from stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.