Southeast Asian nations express 'deep concern' over U.S. tariffs
The Hindu
ASEAN leaders express concern over U.S. tariffs, hold summit with China and Gulf states amid global trade tensions.
Southeast Asian leaders expressed "deep concern" over U.S. tariffs Tuesday (May 27, 2025), as they held a summit with China and Gulf states hailed as "a response to the call of the times" in a geopolitically uncertain world.
The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate themselves after U.S. President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing a slew of levies targeting countries around the world, then paused most for 90 days.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) released a statement on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) night expressing "deep concern over... the imposition of unilateral tariff measures, which pose complex and multidimensional challenges to ASEAN's economic growth, stability, and integration".
In another statement, the bloc stressed "our strongest resolve to stand together" in the face of the levies, and pledged to expand cooperation with other partners.
Earlier in the day, Malaysia, which holds the bloc's rotating chairmanship, hosted the inaugural summit between ASEAN, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — a regional bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the meeting that "against the backdrop of a volatile international situation", the summit was "a pioneering work of regional economic cooperation".
"This is not only a continuation of the course of history, but also a response to the call of the times," he said.
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