Days after Southeast Asian foreign ministers and officials expressed strong concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff moves, the same top diplomats were conspicuously mum on the issue following related meetings with the United States’ top diplomat.
In meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Friday of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) East Asian Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), top diplomats did not touch on the sweeping U.S. tariffs — or even broach the issue of trade — according to summaries of the talks released by chair Malaysia the same day.
According to the EAS summary, the ministers “expressed support for deeper engagement across all pillars of the EAS, calling for continued focus on results-driven cooperation.”
The 18-member EAS forum, established in 2005, plays “a pivotal role in shaping the Indo-Pacific’s strategic and economic landscape,” according to the chair.
But while it said the meeting “also served as a platform for candid exchanges on pressing regional and international issues,” the lack of any mention of trade concerns was glaring — especially after reports that both emerging and industrialized economies are now seeking to diversify partnerships to weather the U.S. tariff storm.
The forum, which brings together not only Southeast Asian countries but also partners such as Japan, the U.S., Canada, Russia, Australia, South Korea and India, accounted for over half of the global economy with a combined nominal gross domestic product of about $68 trillion, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, who chaired the event.
The issue was also not mentioned in the summary for the ARF meeting, which was attended by 26 members and has traditionally focused on “political and security issues of common interest and concern.”
It was not immediately clear if the tariff or trade issues would be mentioned in a final statement released by the meetings’ chair.
The gatherings took place on the second day of gatherings between ASEAN members and major political and trading partners, with the first day seeing the top diplomats of China and the United States vying for support in separate meetings with the 10-member bloc.
This comes as Trump continues to send out letters to countries across the globe announcing new tariff rates that would go into effect on Aug. 1, a move that, if implemented, could represent a blow for the economic ambitions of many export-driven economies, particularly in Asia.
Trump announced hefty unilateral levies of between 25% and 40% on six Southeast Asian countries, as well as 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea. Among Southeast Asian nations, Vietnam has so far secured a deal, which lowers the levy from an initial 46% to 20%.
Compounding the issue, though, is that Washington has already threatened an additional 10% on tariffs on countries aligned with the BRICS grouping of major emerging economies. Indonesia is a full member of BRICS, while Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are partner countries.
Unlike at the EAS and ARF, which were both attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ASEAN foreign ministers on Friday “expressed concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties in the international economic landscape, particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs.”
In a joint statement covering their meeting earlier this week, the ministers did not specifically mention the U.S., but called tariffs “counterproductive,” saying they “risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation and pose complex challenges to ASEAN’s economic stability and growth.”
“We underscored the importance of a predictable, transparent, inclusive, free, fair, sustainable and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core,” the joint statement said. “We reaffirmed our commitment to work constructively with all partners to this end.”
Rubio, who was on his first visit to Asia in his current role, had earlier said his visit was meant to highlight that the region remains a “focal point” of U.S. foreign policy and that Washington will remain “very committed.
On Friday, the top U.S. diplomat said he was not worried that the tariffs against ASEAN nations could backfire on Washington, including pushing those countries closer to U.S. rival China.
“No, I’m not concerned about that,” he said. “That’s not going to happen, because these tariffs are being applied on a global scale. These are not aimed at one country or one region. It’s all around the world.”
Defending his boss’s tariff policy, Rubio said that “the trade deficit the U.S. was running with too many countries was simply unsustainable. We had to address it.”
Asked if the tariff campaign could create an opening for China to be seen as the stable economic partner, Rubio was dismissive.
“We don’t view this as an opening for anyone. We don’t view it that way. We view it as an opportunity to reset global trade in a way that’s fair for Americans after two or three decades of unfairness,” he said.
“I think countries understand that,” he added.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for his part, presented China as the “most dependable partner” for ASEAN, aiming to conduct “win-win cooperation” with the bloc and create a high-level free trade network, including through Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
China and ASEAN are each other’s largest trading partners. The two sides have concluded talks on an upgraded free-trade deal that’s ready to be signed later this year and will cover new areas such as digital and green economy and supply-chain connectivity.
ASEAN has seen its role in the global economy grow, particularly as most member states have undergone a remarkable economic transformation over the past few decades. With a population of almost 700 million, the bloc — which has continuously sought to avoid choosing sides in the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry — is collectively already the world’s fifth-largest economy, representing a vast market.
But as Beijing seeks to capitalize on growing international concern over U.S. tariffs, the Trump administration is reportedly planning to urge countries to curb trade with China in exchange for reduced or exempted U.S. tariffs. Media reports suggest Washington may also ask nations to raise import tariffs on Chinese goods or reject surplus Chinese exports, in an apparent effort to pressure Beijing to change its trade practices or slow its economic growth.
China has warned countries against striking any economic agreements with the U.S. at Beijing’s expense.
The rising trade tensions and the rivalry between the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 economies are driving both developing and industrialized countries to expand and diversify their trading networks. For instance, Canada’s top diplomat, Anita Anand, announced Thursday that Ottawa aims to finalize a free trade deal with ASEAN “as soon as possible.”
“We are diversifying and we are establishing those trade relationships,” Anand told Bloomberg TV as Ottawa seeks to reduce its reliance on the U.S. market as Trump threatened Thursday to impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada next month. Other countries are already working on similar strategies as the U.S. leader also said he planned to slap blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most other trading partners.
In April, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council launched negotiations on a separate free trade pact with ASEAN. The two sides also launched a new dialogue forum with China that could lay the groundwork for new economic and strategic cooperation models that give the Global South a bigger say in global affairs.
