Amid escalating global trade tensions, Southeast Asian nations must stick together and diversify their options to mitigate external shocks.
The United States’ imposition of sweeping reciprocal tariffs of at least 10 per cent on nearly 60 countries represents a seismic policy shift that threatens to dismantle decades of global trading norms. Imports from Southeast Asian countries from Malaysia and Indonesia to Vietnam and Cambodia will face 24, 32, 46 and 49 per cent tariffs respectively.
This has unleashed a profound shock wave across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). For the regional bloc, these tariffs transcend mere economic concern; they constitute an existential threat that could destabilise entire societies and ignite sociopolitical volatility.
