Southeast Asian leaders to address U.S. tariff concerns at summit

May 26, 2025 (MLN): Southeast Asian leaders meet Monday for their first summit since Donald Trump's tariff policies upended global economic norms, with the trade-dependent nations expected to issue a joint message of deep concern over recent US actions.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will also tackle pressing regional issues, attempting to increase pressure on Myanmar's military junta and iron out remaining issues with East Timor's application to join the bloc, as per APP.

On Tuesday, the leaders will be joined in Kuala Lumpur by representatives of China and Gulf states, as they seek to solidify diverse economic alliances in the face of future uncertainty.

Trump cast international markets into turmoil in April when he announced wide-ranging tariffs on Washington's trading partners, before the US president agreed to pause them for most countries for 90 days.

Bilateral talks between ASEAN member states and Washington are in progress, but the bloc must still present a united front, Malaysia -- which holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN -- said before the summit.

"We believe that it's important to continue to have a dialogue with the United States," said Malaysian trade minister Zafrul Aziz.

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