Malaysia trade minister to head to US next week for tariff talks

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s trade minister will travel to the United States on April 24 to meet the US Trade Representative and other officials for talks about the US tariffs imposed on the country, state media agency Bernama reported on Thursday.

Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said he would not be negotiating a trade deal on the two-day trip, Bernama quoted him as telling a briefing.

“Negotiation takes time, right? So, it is more to talk about how Malaysia can play an important role in the supply chain between Asia and the US,” he said.

Malaysia has ruled out imposing retaliatory tariffs, and last week Tengku Zafrul had said embassy staff in Washington were reaching out to US officials about the tariffs.

“We need to go there to explain how Malaysia, as a neutral country, plays an important role in the semiconductor and electrical and electronics sectors. Our goal is to show that Malaysia can support industries in the US rather than posing a threat to them,” he said.During the visit, Tengku Zafrul said he would also explain ASEAN’s stance on the tariffs, including the outcome of last week’s ASEAN economic ministers meeting.

Southeast Asian countries have been particularly hit hard by US President Donald Trump’s threatened “reciprocal” tariffs, though most duties have been paused until July. Malaysia faces a 24 per cent duty.

“We also want to explain to the US that many of us, ASEAN itself, do not believe that we have imposed such high tariffs on US products. We want to correct some of the wrong views,” Zafrul said.

Earlier, the communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the second finance minister would accompany Tengku Zafrul on the trip.

China says it will ignore US ‘tariff numbers game’

The government has not said whether it will purchase more US imports as a way to narrow its trade surplus with Washington, unlike some Asian countries.