US state secretary says Asia might get 'better' tariffs than others

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Asian nations might get “better” tariff rates than the rest of the world, as he attended ASEAN talks focused on Washington's trade war.

- 

Rubio's visit to Malaysia came after US President Donald Trump threatened this week to impose punitive tariffs on more than 20 countries if they did not strike deals with Washington by August 1.

“I would say that when all is said and done, many of the countries in Southeast Asia are going to have tariff rates that are actually better than countries in other parts of the world,” Rubio said on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“But these talks continue. There'll be talks next week with Japan. There's ongoing talks with virtually every country represented here.”

Trump said Monday that duties he had suspended in April would snap back -- even more steeply -- by the new deadline.

He has told more than 20 countries, many in Asia, they face tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and announced a 50 percent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 percent duty on pharmaceuticals.