As U.S. President Donald Trump dominated headlines with the announcement of further tariffs (this time on movies), Asian finance ministers quietly launched the continent’s newest set of strategies to lessen its exposure to the United States. This follows the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the ASEAN + 3 group (the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as China, South Korea, and Japan) in Milan on Sunday.

The joint statement, while conservative and jargon-laden, provides a glimpse of notable shifts in response to ongoing trade pressures from Washington. It seems to show a new unity between the economic powerhouses of Northeast Asia, despite their many disagreements, and their alignment with the emerging powers of Southeast Asia, currently led by Malaysia.