Tag: Southeast Asia
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Malaysia Insists on Sovereignty, Halal Standard in U.S. Tariff Talks
Malaysia insists and will not compromise on sovereignty or halal certification standards in its negotiations with the United States over a 25 percent import tariff tied to U.S. efforts to curb transshipment from China to the U.S. through Southeast Asia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Saturday, as ...
Caught in the Crossfire: Vietnam and the Chinese Transshipment Dilemma
By Le Hong Hiep On 2 July 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new U.S.–Vietnam trade deal, declaring that “Vietnam will pay the United States a 20% tariff on any and all goods sent into our territory, and ...
Indonesia Elevates Security Concerns in ASEAN–China Talks
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono’s recent remarks at the ASEAN–China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur mark a welcome and necessary development in regional diplomacy. Amid long-standing discussions dominated by trade and economic cooperation, his decision to highlight transnational crime and maritime security brings long-overdue attention to issues ...
Q&A: Indonesia’s Ex-Chief Negotiator Warns ASEAN of Trump’s U.S. “Tariff Trap”
The U.S. tariffs regime is exposing fractures in Southeast Asia’s trade posture. When Indonesia’s former chief trade negotiator, Iman Pambagyo, looks at the region’s response to the latest wave of U.S. tariffs, his message is clear: Southeast Asia cannot afford to keep falling for Trump’s tariff trap. ...
Rubio to Meet China’s Wang on Sidelines of ASEAN Talks
By Léon Bruneau U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers' meet in Malaysia, the State Department said. The meeting ...
China Backs ASEAN Nuclear Weapon-Free Treaty, U.S. in Review
China has expressed its willingness to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty without reservations in a move that may signal renewed diplomatic momentum for one of the world’s least-recognized nuclear-free zones. The offer, confirmed ...
Rubio Departs for Whirlwind Asia Trip Overshadowed by Tariffs
By Léon Bruneau U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed for Malaysia on Tuesday for meetings with ASEAN allies, a trip that has been overshadowed by fears of a trade war. The brief trip to ...
Southeast Asia’s Responses Split Over Trump’s August 1 Tariffs
Southeast Asia’s biggest exporters are responding differently under the newest U.S. tariff pressure. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are pursuing divergent strategies to head off duties of up to 36%, set to begin August 1. Donald Trump sent letters to 14 countries, ...
Indonesia’s Over-Reliance on China is a Warning for Other Global South Countries
Indonesia thought it was building a future. Instead, it built someone else’s supply chain. Last month, China imposed a 20% anti-dumping tariff on stainless steel from Indonesia, accusing Jakarta of undercutting prices and threatening Chinese producers. The penalty will remain ...
How the U.S. and China Misread Southeast Asia in the Tariff War
Southeast Asia is not the world's workshop or a passive trade partner. As the U.S.-China tariff war escalates, the region is asserting a new kind of agency, trade independence rooted in national interest. Economies like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, at the end of the day, choose ...
China’s Hainan Islamic Pilgrimage Stopover Reveals Bigger Plans
China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.
Southeast Asia Digest: Caught Between U.S. Tariff and China Shadow
This is a free preview of the upcoming Southeast Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. This week in Tariff Negotiations with the U.S.: