Asean leaders to discuss Myanmar and tariffs

RTHK

26-05-2025

Asean leaders to discuss Myanmar and tariffs
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (R) greets Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before the plenary session at the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
Southeast Asia's leaders will try again when they meet on Monday to bring Myanmar's military government into talks to end a protracted civil war, and will seek ways to offset global trade uncertainty from US President Donald Trump's tariff threats.
Government leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are expected to meet Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday, along with counterparts from Middle East countries.
The talks come amid widespread global market volatility and slowing economic growth sparked by Trump's threats of US trade tariffs.
Six Southeast Asian countries targeted by his administration face much bigger-than-expected tariffs of between 32 percent and 49 percent in July, unless negotiations with Washington on reductions succeed.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said ahead of the summit that Asean leaders would discuss and compare responses to the tariffs.
"Concerning trade and specifically the tariff schedule imposed by the United States... we must find a way to find consensus amongst the disparate situations that the different member states are operating under," Marcos said.
Marty Natalegawa, an Indonesian former foreign minister, said Asean should identify key principles to rally around to guide each member country's negotiations with the US.
"Otherwise, there could be a risk of a lose-lose cycle in our own region," he said.
After weekend ministerial meetings, Asean is also expected to continue to discuss proposals on Myanmar at a summit on Monday and Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia, this year's Asean chair, says it will continue speaking separately to Myanmar's ruling military and to armed opposition groups to try to foster direct talks between the warring sides.
"These negotiations need to be done many times so that an understanding can be built between each side," Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told reporters after two meetings on the Myanmar conflict on Saturday, adding that he plans to visit Myanmar next month.
The 10-member bloc's foreign ministers agreed to discuss a proposal for a permanent Asean envoy on Myanmar, Mohamad said. "We want to explore that," he said. "It's a matter of who is going to be the permanent special envoy, maybe on a three-year term." (Reuters)