KUALA LUMPUR — Putrajaya views with concern the United States’s (US) plans to impose a 25% tariff on automotive, semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports as this will be a challenge for Malaysia, the Foreign Ministry said.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this is because 60% of Malaysia’s total trade with the US comprised electrical and electronics (E&E) exports.
“This is a huge blow if we can’t get this resolved soon,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today during the ministers’ question time, Bernama reports.
“That’s why yesterday I mentioned in this honourable assembly that Asean plans to hold a special Asean-US summit immediately to present to the new US administration (about the matter).
“We need to confer on how to provide the views from Asean countries to ensure the proposed tariff does not burden us,” he said.
Commenting on the plans for 25% tariffs which was announced by US President Donald Trump in the last two days, Mohamad described the move as “reshoring”.
“By (reshoring), the US is imposing this high tax so that large companies operating outside the US return to the US and establish operations in the US itself,” he said.
Mohamad was replying a question from Manndzri Nasib (Tenggara-BN) who wanted to know the extent to which Malaysia can benefit from the organisation of the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (Asean-GCC) Summit and the Asean-GCC- China Summit in increasing economic cooperation, trade and national and regional investment.
Mohamad said the three blocs of Asean, GCC and China should sit together to discuss this matter.
“This is because China is a country with one of the largest markets, the GCC is a country with capital and ASEAN is a block of countries with many natural resources.
“If these three blocs can negotiate, we can develop the intra-ASEAN economy, making ASEAN the fourth largest economy in the world by 2030,” he said.
Trump on Tuesday announced his plan for 25% tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceutical and automotive imports, saying they would be confirmed and unveiled on April 2.
Yesterday, he reiterated his stand on the tariffs, this time saying they could be imposed over “the next month or sooner”. – February 20, 2025