KUALA LUMPUR -- Tariffs are now being used to "pressure, isolate and contain" other countries, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned on Wednesday as he kicked off ASEAN's key foreign ministers' meetings, where U.S. trade policy is set to take center stage.
"Across the world, tools once used to generate growth are now wielded to pressure, isolate and contain," he said, speaking at the opening ceremony of the ministerial meetings in Kuala Lumpur. "Tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry."
Anwar reminded his ASEAN peers that the region will have to confront this reality with "clarity and conviction," and that the bloc's cohesion must not end at declarations.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new slew of tariff rates, hitting six ASEAN members. They include a 40% levy on goods from Myanmar and Laos, and 36% on those from Thailand and Cambodia. The rate for Indonesia is 32%, and that for Malaysia is 25%.
Malaysia holds the 10-member bloc's rotating chairmanship this year. This week's meetings include ASEAN's internal foreign ministers' meeting, followed by gatherings with key partner nations, including the U.S., China, Russia, the U.K., Japan and India.
A draft joint communique of the foreign ministers' meeting, seen by Nikkei Asia, says unilateral tariff actions "are counterproductive and risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation," and "pose complex challenges to ASEAN's economic stability and growth."
Khoo Ying Hooi, an associate professor at the University of Malaya's Department of International and Strategic Studies, told Nikkei Asia that Trump's latest tariff announcement was more about projecting strength and reviving the "America First" narrative, even if it means targeting allies like Japan and South Korea.
"This feels more symbolic than strategic, aimed at showing voters he's tough on trade, regardless of who's on the receiving end," she said.
Khoo pointed out that Southeast Asia has already taken steps to diversify trade, strengthen regional integration and reduce reliance on any single market. She added that South-South trade partnerships are happening and noted that these efforts may "accelerate and deepen."
In his speech, Anwar reiterated that ASEAN's "centrality" must continue, stressing that the bloc must be the primary anchor for dialogue as geopolitical and economic uncertainties grow across the world.
"The global order is fraying," Anwar said. "Conflict, coercion, and mistrust now define too many relationships -- and countless lives are being lost or overturned in their wake."
Meanwhile, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, at the meeting, stressed that the global political landscape will continue to change from "bipolarity to unipolarity and finally, multipolarity."
He warned that geopolitical fault lines are deepening as strategic trust erodes amid ongoing conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, the crisis in Gaza and rising tensions in the Middle East.
"Closer to home, the crisis in Myanmar continues to weigh heavily on our conscience," he said, noting that ASEAN's efforts under the Five-Point Consensus -- a peace restoration roadmap agreed in Jakarta in 2021 -- have yet to yield meaningful progress on the ground.
Mohamad called on stakeholders in Myanmar, particularly the military government, to commit to the peace process by creating a "conducive environment for elections" in line with the aspirations of the people of Myanmar.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono told reporters after the ministerial meeting that the ongoing situation in Myanmar must remain a key topic of discussion at the ASEAN level, as the country is still a member and part of the bloc. "We must consider what we can do to help, and we should help," he said.
With tariff issues weighing on the bloc, Sugiono said the meeting marked a significant step toward a shared understanding of the region's economic strength. "It's now a common conception that ASEAN must become a regional organization with strong economic leverage," he said.
