Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul, stated that as the ASEAN chair, Malaysia has requested through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convene a US-ASEAN special summit to discuss tariff issues.
He also confirmed that all ASEAN country leaders have agreed to visit the United States to meet US President Trump.
“From the ASEAN Secretariat, I learned that we are now awaiting the US to confirm the time.”
He said this in an interview with the American financial news channel CNBC this morning.
Zafrul reiterated that ASEAN does not support any retaliatory tariff actions, and ASEAN hopes to continue engaging with Washington.
For Malaysia, he said, the country is adopting bilateral and multilateral approaches to address the issue.
“We also agree that a rules-based multilateral trading system is the path Malaysia should take. Our officials in Washington, including those from MITI and the embassy, are actively engaging with the US counterparts.
“Of course, our foreign minister has also been in contact with the US Secretary of State. Currently, the effective tariff rate imposed on Malaysia by the US is about 5.6%.”
He added that Malaysia welcomes the US suspension of reciprocal tariffs, which provides an opportunity for engagement and negotiation between both parties.