INTERACTIVE: What you need to know about Asean's exports to the US, in 5 charts

The Star

08-05-2025

North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT), Malaysia — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Countries from around the world are seeking to negotiate a deal with Washington within the 90-day pause of higher tariffs announced by the United States, and South-East Asia is no exception.
The 90-day pause, which started on April 9, is scheduled to end in early July.
Asean is negotiating tariffs imposed by the United States with a mix of individual country efforts and a focus on regional coordination.
To find out how much Asean collectively exports to the United States and identify its top exports, The Star pored over figures from various sources.
They include the International Trade Centre's (ITC) Trade Map, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), US Census Bureau and media reports.
Some figures vary by source, but they all indicate that the United States heavily relies on imports from South-East Asia for a wide variety of goods ranging from electrical machinery to furniture.
Below are five charts explaining Asean's trade with the United States.
Asean's 10-member countries exported a combined total of US$358.56bil worth of goods to the United States last year, according to the ITC Trade Map.
The 27 country European Union was first, followed by Mexico, China, and Canada.
The ITC Trade Map's figures show that exports from Asean made up 10.67% of the total US$3.36tril worth of goods which the United States imports.
The USTR website meanwhile cites a lower figure for Asean's exports to the United States, which it said stood at US$352.3bil last year.
It said that goods imports from Asean to the United States went up by 13.3% last year compared to 2023.
Vietnam was Asean's largest exporter to the United States last year, delivering goods valued at US$142.48bil, according to the ITC Trade Map.
Its figures indicate Malaysia is Asean's third largest exporter to the United States.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 5 that Malaysia's exports to the United States stood at RM199bil in 2024.
Anwar said that exports to the United States made up 13% of Malaysia's total exports.
Electrical machinery and equipment is the top category of goods exported by Asean to the United States.
Industrial machinery is second, followed mechanical appliances and components.
The ITC Trade Map's figures show that Malaysia is Asean's second biggest exporter of electrical machinery and equipment to the United States after Vietnam.
Last year, Malaysia shipped US$28.43bil worth of electrical machinery and equipment to the United States, while Vietnam exported US$42.57bil.
Electrical machinery and equipment were the main exports from six Asean countries to the United States, namely Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Laos.
Singapore's main export to the United States is pharmaceutical products while Cambodia's main exports comprises of apparel and clothing accessories.
Some Asean countries lead the region in terms of its US exports for certain types of goods.
Thailand, for example, is the regional leader in terms of car exports to the United States, shipping US$2.59bil of vehicles to America last year.
Malaysia meanwhile leads in the export of aircraft parts to the United States, which stood at US$0.45bil in 2024.