Ministers warned the US -Chinese war pushing Asian countries to choose the two sides

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Government ministers have warned that the trade war between the United States and China puts in Southeast Asian countries for increasing pressure to choose the two sides between the world’s largest economists.

“China is looking and watching,” Malaysian Trade Minister Zafol Aziz, who leads the tariff negotiations with Washington, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian countries, told the Financial Times.

“They say,” everything it offers to the United States, we want the same thing because everything you give to the United States is at our expense. “

Zapol’s comments, hesitated on Thursday with a warning of SingaporeThe Minister of Commerce said that neutrality in the region has become difficult to preserve, and highlights the increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing since US President Donald Trump revealed Definition package last month.

Zrolol said that the economic disengagement of the United States and China were pressuring countries in Southeast Asia-many of which are important centers in supply chains that link the economic superpowers-to choose one side on the other side.

“We have to balance this by not choosing a side and understanding the fears of each side.” “All countries (in the region) have to move in it. It is difficult.”

Gan Kim Young, Minister of Trade in Singapore and Deputy Prime Minister, said the city’s state avoids neutrality as an international policy, but it was You find it difficult to maintain relationships With both the United States and China as the gap has grown.

Jean said at the UBS conference on Thursday: “If you try to be neutral and walk on the middle road, the road is narrow and narrower, in the end it will be the edge of a knife and you will not be able to stand.” “The key is that we have to take sideways, and we have to hold positions, and we must do it really based on the principles.”

But he said that the approach followed by Singapore – which plays a decisive role in linking China to the West – is the adoption of sites in controversial geopolitical issues based on its national concerns, rather than standing with a country on another.

Southeast Asian countries were among the worst strikes through the “mutual” definition package announced by Trump last month, with some, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, facing drawings of more than 40 percent due to their large trade surplus with the United States.

Soon after the definitions were revealed, Chinese President Xi Jinping Truly Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia seek to enhance relations and secure their influence in the region.

Beijing has She criticized a deal It struck between the United States and the United Kingdom this month, which it believes can be used to pressure Chinese products from British supply chains.

Washington has given a 90 -day postponement to provide the affected countries with negotiation. Since then, Zrolol has been in talks with US Trade Minister Howard Lootnick and Trade Representative, Jameson Jarir, including in an economic cooperation gathering in Asia Pacific in South Korea last week.

“They seem to understand (our position),” Zrolol said. “But the warning is, they still need to persuade the president. This still depends on Trump.”

He added that if Washington will implement the definitions specifically, it will aim to make chips, then it will be so It has a “great effect” On his country’s economy because semiconductors represent more than 60 percent of Malaysia’s exports to the United States.

“This is an ecosystem that has been built over 60 years,” he said. “For all multinationals that are in Malaysia that is doing this work, there are at least a few hundred Malaysian companies that support them.”

The heads of state and the government from the Gulf Cooperation Council will meet in Kuala Labor next week to try to build a wide trade agreement between the two blocs against the background of collapse in the global trading system. Chinese Prime Minister Lee Qiang will attend.