KUALA LUMPUR — The United States expects to finalize trade deals with more Southeast Asian countries in the coming months, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said during a meeting with regional counterparts on Wednesday.
Greer was speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the start of a meeting with economic ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, amid concerns within the export-reliant bloc over the impact of US tariffs on their economies.
Tariff rates have been set at 19 percent and 20 percent for most of the region. Laos and Myanmar have been hit with a 40 percent rate, while Singapore has a 10 percent tariff.
Greer said talks with respective countries on the levies have been progressing well, with agreements to be finalized “in the coming months or even weeks, for some.”
“We believe that there are many areas where our interests align, and we can work together to achieve shared goals of bringing reciprocity and balance to the global trading system,” he said.
Indonesia and Vietnam have already negotiated new trade deals with the United States, securing lower tariffs in the process.
