PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia, as the ASEAN chair this year, will prioritise the importance of deepening regional economic ties following the announcement of sweeping US tariffs on the bloc's member nations as well as leading them in engaging Washington in talks to potentially reduce retaliatory tariffs on imports into America.
Minister of Finance II Datuk Amir Hamzah Azizan said the Southeast Asian grouping would do so through American institutions to reduce tariffs, which are clearly deterrents to global trade.
Speaking to the media ahead of the ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) next week, he said while countries globally were still digesting and understanding the implications of the tariffs on their respective economies, it was clear that ASEAN members showed they were in unison in adopting as non-retaliatory stance and work towards an amicable solution.
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