Southeast Asia, with a few financial leverages, seeks to put Trump on trade

They have had some more consecutive definitions of President Trump, in one case up to 49 percent. The new drawings threatened to challenge their economies, which flourished by making sports shoes and technical commodities for American consumers.

So, Southeast Asian countries, such as Cambodia and Vietnam, rushed to the satisfaction of Mr. Trump. They promised unlike China and Europe. They suggested reducing or even Eliminate their definitions on American imports.

On Thursday, the region woke up to the good news that Mr. Trump had stopped his “mutual”. The president suggested that he had A reverse path Because of the disturbances in the market they caused. However, Southeast Asia is committed to its good approach.

In a statement on Thursday, the economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian countries, known as ASEAN, said that the 10 -state bloc was “united in the opinion that revenge is not an option.” (The ministers were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to hold a meeting that was previously scheduled.)

Although Mr. Trump stopped for 90 days, the anxiety here is clear. Asean said that his definitions “provide uncertainty and undermine confidence in the World Trade System.” Millions of livelihoods In the area at stake. The Minister of Finance in Thailand, Pachay Chhunhavagira, admitted that the White House had benefited from its nation on trade matters.

“This is the way you are negotiating,” Mr. Bishy said in an interview. “You start with a severe evaluation and then reduce the demand along the way. We may have to comply.”

Mr. Pichai plans to visit Washington in the coming weeks and hopes to meet Peter Navarro, Mr. Trump’s commercial advisor; Jameson Jarir, his commercial representative; Heard Lottenic, Trade Secretary. His goal is to reduce the 36 percent import tax that Mr. Trump plans to impose on the goods that were made in Thailand as soon as the stop ended.

Another Thai official warned that Bangkok should not push for negotiations without understanding what Mr. Trump really wants.

“The problem is: you are entering very early, and President Trump believes that he has all cards,” said SuPavud Saicheua, Adviser to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. “Remember, it plays the poker, so the timing is everything.”

“We are a small country. We do not have many cards.”

Mr. Trump’s tariff forced many countries in Southeast Asia to confront an existential dilemma: the successful model that exports is amazing and that has worked on their economies for years is now under a threat.

the American trade deficit with ASEANIn the goods, it was 228 billion dollars last year. The bloc has benefited greatly in recent years, as companies moved some production to the region from China, after Mr. Trump imposed, in his first term, on China, which lasted during the era of President Joseph R. Biden Junior.

This shift has led to deeper economic ties with China, which can place the area in a narrow place in talks with the Trump administration.

“China is a very important player, we cannot ignore him, and yes, some countries are facing problems with that,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia said in the ASEAN meetings in Kuala Lumpur. “We continue to move in the best possible way, to secure peace and security and obtain most of the benefits in terms of economics and investments.”

Malaysia, Thailand, has a trade surplus of about $ 45 billion with the United States. Mr. Pachay says that Thailand is preparing to buy more agricultural products and natural gas from the United States. He said his goal is for Thailand to import $ 50 billion in American products, up from about 20 billion dollars currently.

Mr. Trump and White House officials said they want to reduce the trade deficit of the United States with other countries. But for less wealthy countries such as those in Southeast Asia, the closure of this gap is almost impossible.

However, Vietnam said on Thursday that the Trump administration agreed to request negotiations on the mutual trade agreement. The Philippines said it had contacted the United States to explore a possible free trade deal.

One of the urgent questions will be the extent of countries ready to go to address the tactics that some companies use to avoid the American customs tariff: sending ready -made goods from China to places such as Vietnam and Thailand, where they are refunded or re -exported to the United States.

“This is the region where a question mark will be,” Peter Momford, who analyzes Southeast Asia told the Eurasia Group, a consulting company. “Will you really do Southeast Asia enough in terms of verified concrete steps that will return to Washington?”

Mr. Pachay said that Thailand will be “more cautious” about Chinese companies working in Thailand and that export products to the United States.

“Thailand and its neighbors had a little option to negotiate,” said Treene Ngwin, an economist at Natx, a French bank, said that Thailand and its neighbors had a little option.

“It seems that you have a store and your customer 1 is behaving in a way that is not the same as before,” she said. “You will not say,” move away, right? What you will do is to say: “Listen, what can I do to make you feel better?”