The US will not be present at the summits held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Monday (May 26) and Tuesday, but Trump's shadow looms large as uncertainty lingers over what he might do after a 90-day pause on steeper reciprocal tariffs slapped on most of the world ends in July.
"Malaysia, as the ASEAN chair, may push for ASEAN to diversify economic partnerships to minimise the impact of Trump's tariffs," said Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a research fellow in the Southeast Asia programme at the Lowy Institute think tank in Australia. "Trump’s tariffs are an accelerator for ASEAN to expand its strategic partnerships."
