ANWAR, PAETONGTARN REAFFIRM ASEAN'S COLLECTIVE STAND ON US TARIFFS
By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock
BANGKOK, April 17 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the issue of United States (US) tariffs collectively at the ASEAN level.
Anwar, currently on a two-day working visit to Thailand, said delegations from both Malaysia and Thailand discussed the matter during their bilateral meeting.
“We also deliberated on the issue of US tariffs and reaffirmed our commitment to addressing it collectively at the ASEAN level through a fair and sustainable negotiation framework,” he said during the bilateral meeting with Paetongtarn at Government House here today.
Anwar expressed his appreciation to the Thai prime minister for her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.
“I value the Thai government’s willingness to continue advancing existing agreements, particularly those aimed at enhancing the economies of northern Malaysia and southern Thailand.
“With Thailand now Malaysia’s sixth-largest trading partner, and total trade exceeding US$25 billion last year, these initiatives will help us achieve our US$30 billion target by 2027,” he said.
Earlier, Anwar and Paetongtarn witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) concerning the construction agreement (CA) for the Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok Bridge Project.
Meanwhile in a press conference, Paetongtarn said three main topics were discussed with Anwar: the Sungai Golok Bridge project, peace in Thailand’s southern provinces, and US tariffs.
Regarding the Sungai Golok Bridge, she said construction is ongoing and is expected to be completed on schedule.
“As for peace in southern Thailand, we sought Malaysia’s cooperation, with a primary focus on economic development. This includes initiatives such as halal food production and the Rubber City project.
“We agreed on transforming the 'battlefield' into a 'trade field' to promote cooperation and mutual economic benefits,” she said.
Paetongtarn also noted that both leaders discussed how ASEAN member states could respond collectively to US tariffs.
“ASEAN has a large population and significant potential if we act in unison. We also explored the different strategies that each country is adopting and agreed that every nation would proceed with its respective approach,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
