Why new US tariffs threaten Trump government’s credibility in Asean

A new wave of US tariffs that hit seven Southeast Asian countries is set to reinforce perceptions of Washington as an unreliable partner to the region, according to analysts. Citing what it said were forced labour practices uncovered in its latest investigations, the US on Thursday imposed levies ranging from 10 to 12.5 per cent on 60 economies – with the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam the hardest hit among Association of Southeast Asian Nations members. Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia were on the lower end of the scale as they were seen to have made more effort to strengthen enforcement. US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer said in a statement that the latest move would “correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to attend a summit at the Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay on Thursday. The tariffs came just a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Southeast Asian foreign ministers that the US was “with Asean 100 per cent” at a meeting for top diplomats in Manila also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. On Friday, Kevin Kim, US ambassador to Asean, told reporters that Washington “is pursuing fair and reciprocal trade” but that he would defer to Greer on technical responses.