ASEAN can capitalize on Trump's tariff tantrum, says business lobby head

Malaysia's Nazir Razak sees great potential in expanding regional trade and work permits

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ASEAN-Business Advisory Council chairman Nazir Razak speaks with Nikkei Asia in an interview in Tokyo on June 5. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 

JADA NAGUMO

TOKYO -- Southeast Asian countries can capitalize on the rollout of tariffs and other U.S. policies by revisiting neglected relationships with other trade partners, as well as open doors to foreign students, the head of ASEAN's business lobby told Nikkei Asia.

"I think there is a lot of upside and we need to work together," Nazir Razak, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), said in an interview on Thursday. "The rules-based open trading system is no longer liked by the majority of the U.S. population ... We have to accept that and do something about it."

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