Southeast Asian nations want to discuss tariffs with Trump as a uniform block, says Malaysia PM

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Southeast Asian nations will require a common front to face challenges, including the economic headwind of US tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.

Anwar opened an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian nations and said that he was looking for a uniform block meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss the tariffs. Officials are confident that it could happen later this year. Malaysia is the current chairman of Asean.

“For Asean, our peace, stability and prosperity are often dependent on an open, integrative, regulent -based international order … These basics are now being broken down under the power of arbitrary measures,” said Anwar.

Asean has formed a task force to coordinate an answer to the US tariffs in parallel to the bilateral negotiations of some member countries, said Anwar. The Asean members include larger economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as those such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The region is based on exports to the United States and is violated by the tariffs of the Trump government, which are 10% for Singapore up to 49% for Cambodia. Trump announced a 90-day break for tariffs for most of the world in April and has completed a similar deal with the most important rival China this month to loosen the tensions of the trade war.

Anwar said that a meeting of the ASEAN leader on Tuesday with the Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the Gulf Cooperation Council – the first three -part meeting – would stimulate a new cooperation that could help isolate the economy of Asean. The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The block later on Monday will start a new 20-year vision to deepen its economic and social integration, said Anwar.

Anwar also said that Malaysia managed to “move the needle forward” to solve the crisis in Myanmar after founding an informal consulting group under the direction of the former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Anwar met myanmar military chief General Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok last month and had virtual discussions with the government of the National Unity opposition.

Officials said that the current emphasis on the aids after an earthquake in March, in which 3,700 people were killed, could finally pave the way for peace talks. However, critics accuse the army of violating a self -proclaimed armistice of dozens of air strikes, whereby help is not freely allowed into areas that are not under the control of the army.

The Myanmar War, which killed thousands and displaced millions, is a challenge for Asean because the refugees have fled to neighboring nations. In the region, increasing transnational crimes and cybercrime also rose. The block has hardly made any progress after the military of Myanmar refused to fulfill its peace plan, including an armistice, the delivery of humanitarian aid and negotiations.

Anwar said that more commitment was planned in Myanmar.

“Still commitment is important. The steps may be small and the bridge may be fragile, but as you say: in peace matters, a fragile bridge is even better than a spacious golf,” said Anwar.

Thomas Daniel from the Malaysias Institute for Strategic and International Studies said that Asean has no real influence on reconciliation. According to reports, the Myanmar military has lost control of a large part of the country and made the situation even more difficult.

“The conditions on site are extremely difficult. I don't think we have reached a phase in which Asean can make it easier for political dialogue between contradicting parties. They are not yet ready,” he said.