US tariff hikes, Myanmar war, sea disputes will top ASEAN summit agenda

The civil war in Myanmar, maritime disputes in South China Sea and US tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

The meeting in Malaysia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The GCC already has strong links with the US and “wants to be close to China too,” Anwar said. “We want to have that synergy to enhance trade investments, more effective collaboration,” Anwar said in a media briefing late Wednesday.

ASEAN countries have been hit by US tariffs ranging from 10 to 49 per cent. US President Donald Trump last month announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs, prompting countries, including Malaysia and Singapore, to swiftly begin trade negotiations with Washington.

Anwar said the US had promised to review Malaysia's case “sympathetically”. He said ASEAN was also working together to see how it could negotiate with the US as a bloc. At the same time, he said that ASEAN should build its economic resilience by deepening links with other partners such as China, India and the European Union.

Anwar said the US-China rivalry would not split the bloc as the region continued to engage both superpowers. He also downplayed territorial disputes between ASEAN members and China in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, and Myanmar's conflict since the 2021 military takeover.

Last month, Anwar met Myanmar military chief Gen Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and held virtual talks with the opposition National Unity Government. Even though the talks were currently focused on humanitarian aid, Anwar said he hoped that they could eventually push a peace process forward.

Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from attending ASEAN meetings after the military refused to comply with ASEAN's peace plan, which includes delivery of humanitarian aid and negotiations. Opponents and critics of the military government say aid is not freely allowed into areas not under the army's control, and accuse the army of violating its self-declared ceasefire with dozens of airstrikes.