Thailand–Malaysia Join Forces! Propose ASEAN Response to U.S. Trade Policies

On April 17, 2025, Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, Thailand’s Minister of Commerce, held discussions with Mr. Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, who is also serving as Chair of the ASEAN Economic Ministers for the year. The two strategies discussed to handle the U.S. new trade policies, especially the countervailing duties, are negotiating with the U.S. and imposing retaliatory tariffs, which could impact several ASEAN member states.

Both sides shared their views on trade at both country-to-country and regional levels, and agreed to support the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Joint Statement from April 10, 2025. The statement showed ASEAN’s unity and its goal to be a strong partner with the U.S. It also stressed the importance of talking things through instead of using retaliatory trade actions, and supporting fair trade through international rules.

Mr. Pichai also suggested quickly arranging a meeting of ASEAN Economic Ministers to create a shared plan for talks with the U.S. The goal is for ASEAN to stand together and find lasting, positive solutions that protect the region’s economy and supply chains.

Regarding the control of substandard imports, both sides discussed cooperating to handle illegal goods. Thailand has been actively addressing the issue, having dealt with 24,626 cases related to illegal products and collected over 1.5 billion baht in value-added tax. As a result, the volume of online imports has declined by an average of 3.645 billion baht per month

Furthermore, Thailand reaffirmed ASEAN’s key role in global trade, highlighting that the region is home to over 660 million people and has a combined GDP of more than USD 3.6 trillion. ASEAN is thus seen as a region with high economic growth potential. Thailand supports ASEAN’s continued commitment to openness, connectivity, and sustainable engagement with all trading partners.

In terms of Thailand–Malaysia trade relations, Malaysia is Thailand’s 4th largest trading partner globally and the top partner within ASEAN. In 2024, total trade between the two countries amounted to USD 26.06 billion, an increase of 3.88% from the previous year. Thailand, however, recorded a trade gap of around USD 1.39 billion. In the first two months of 2025, two-way trade reached USD 4.13 billion, up 5.28%.

Meanwhile, the U.S. remains a major trading partner for ASEAN. In 2024, total trade between the two amounted to USD 476.8 billion, with the U.S. importing USD 352.3 billion worth of goods from ASEAN and exporting USD 124.6 billion to the region. Key traded products include rubber, garments, electronics, machinery, and agricultural products.