Asean Countries Vexed Amid Trump's Fresh Tariffs Blitz

No explanation for latest salvo or how talks have gone, after months of negotiations

- Philip Wen

BANGKOK - A few Southeast Asian countries are likely feeling justifiably frustrated that the thousands of collective hours poured into engaging in good-faith trade negotiations with the United States have apparently made little difference — at least for now.

That is the logical conclusion if US President Donald Trump's tariff letters, posted on social media on July 7, are taken at face value — impersonal template letters, worded almost identically whether intended for Thailand, Malaysia, or, for that matter, Serbia.

The headline rates stated in the letters were broadly in line with Mr. Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs announced on April 2. There was no explanation for any increase or decrease, or any discernible pattern depending on how advanced negotiations have progressed.

"The letters make no mention of any part of agreements that were negotiated over the last three months," noted Dr. Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation.

"If I were a government leader, I would look at this and I would say, what was the point of us trying to get organized to negotiate? What was the point of us taking this exercise seriously?" she added.

But there were exceptions. Vietnam did secure a deal reducing its headline tariffs to 20 percent by way of persistent engagement and slashing its own pre-existing tariffs on the US to zero. Cambodia — beneficiary of one of the largest tariff letter reductions, from 49 percent to 36 percent — has also consistently pledged to drastically reduce its tariffs on the US, among other concessions.