PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is not looking at retaliatory tariffs against the United States after it was hit with a 10% tariff hike and reciprocal tariff by President Donald Trump’s administration, says the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).

In an immediate reaction to the announcement on Thursday (April 3) Malaysian time, the ministry said it views the tariffs seriously and is actively engaging with US authorities to seek solutions that will uphold the spirit of free and fair trade.

“In upholding this spirit, Malaysia is not considering retaliatory tariffs,” it said in a statement.

“The US tariffs affect many countries with potentially significant implications for global trade and growth.”



Citing data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Miti said Malaysia ranks 15th on the US list with a trade surplus of US$24.8bil (RM110.79bil) last year.

“Despite the trade deficit in goods, the United States enjoys a trade surplus in services with Malaysia, reflecting strong bilateral economic ties that support jobs and economic growth for both nations.



"It must be highlighted that the trade deficit is also because many US firms have been operating in Malaysia for decades, on account of Malaysia’s well-established industrial ecosystem, especially in the electrical and electronic sector.

"We acknowledge that President Trump's tariff hike poses a significant challenge to global trade dynamics," it said.

Miti said Malaysia strongly believes in constructive engagement for mutually beneficial economic relations, and is committed to safeguarding Malaysia's economic interests while maintaining strong trade relations with the United States.



Malaysia would also utilise the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (Tifa) to seek reciprocal trade gains and pursue a Technology Safeguards Agreement with the United States to facilitate high-tech cooperation in semiconductors, aerospace, and digital economy sectors, it added.

The National Geoeconomic Command Centre (NGCC), which was recently given the green light by the Cabinet, will also evaluate the impact of the tariffs and look into a comprehensive and multi-pronged strategy to mitigate its effects on the Malaysian economy and industries, it said.

The NGCC will be chaired by the Prime Minister with Miti as the secretariat and features high-level representatives from key ministries and agencies.

“The NGCC’s key focus is to ensure the Malaysian economy remains competitive amidst these volatile times.

"At the regional level, the first meeting of the Asean Geoeconomic Task Force – established at the Asean Economic Ministers’ Retreat in February – will also commence soon,” it said.


The ministry also said that to mitigate tariff impact, Malaysia will expand its export markets by prioritising high-growth regions and leveraging existing free trade agreements (FTAs), including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

It will also foster new partnerships within Asean and enhance Malaysia’s supply chain resilience by accelerating the implementation of key industrial policies like the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), it said.

“The government is engaging with the affected industries, while exploring support programmes to help businesses adapt. Miti remains committed to open dialogue and collaboration to resolve trade disputes and promote mutual prosperity,” it added.


According to the ministry, Malaysia's diversified markets and products, coupled with strong demand, would provide the country with a buffer for the immediate future.

"Furthermore, domestic demand, which is our main driver of growth, remains robust,” it added.

The ministry said the Malaysian economy would remain resilient amid these challenges.

The 24% tariff on goods entering the United States will begin on April 9, as Trump announced new import duties on his country's trading partners.

This post has been edited by premier239: Apr 3 2025, 02:08 PM

cheap mustangs incoming

Telur mahal bang....

settled our 5000cc roadtax price first. Then we can get cheap mustang

owai

All things considered, personally I think this is best course of action. We cannot change Trump and how he views trade deficit as tariff. So any actions we take might just end up backfiring because the root cause of trade surplus is our ringgit is weak which gives us the production cost advantage. To buy more from USA means ringgit weakens more and it will never solve the trade surplus issue. Might as well just see if any form of deals can be made before we take any actions.

ok lar... this is a better response than just tik for tat
we don't have that much power to fight USA unless really doesn't want to trade with US anymore

Murica: that's right. just accept it unless u want to use hyperos to do banking.

Just read the full executive order.

Its 10% tariff on all goods going into murica from 5 April. This applies to everyone.

Then additional 24% tariff on bolehland goods going to murica from 9 April.

So total extra 34% customs duties.

The 24% can be removed by Trump, if he suka. However, there won't be much time as everyone in the world will want to talk to Trump.

lol @ miti.

Good la .. we only kancil cannot fight gajah .. let other gajah fight gajah …
Kancil should be smart though

no negola Miti

all good friends of USA also have calls with trump and try to nego but still kena.

Scott Bessent Urges US Trading Partners Not to Retaliate: Full Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO0GFiJ5ADc

that day PMX wanted to call trump right, he macam ddint even want to accept kek

Mana formula king madona? kek

as long as our competitor's tariff is higher then us....

All apple product + 30% tariff

but what cards you have first?

PPE is under Pharmaceutical category or not?

it's fine. most asian supply routes are heavily tariff-ed.

EU FTA needs to resolved and start immediately, can reroute through Rotterdam.

we dont import much from them :X how to retaliate? LOL

What is Plan B?

All these years we tariff US cars and products "to protek our industries"

They copy our playbook and now we kena our own medicine and "we uphold this spirit"

Apa lanjiao

Ironically, for many of the largest things that malaysia exports to the us, our competitors - china, vietnam, etc - are tariffed worse.

So until Trump's tariffs on them are removed, it's actually better for many of the goods (except maybe cocoa butter).

retaliatory tariff is bodoh. it's not usa who pay, it's your own people who pay.

we start trade war with US of the A

Dia mash Pening Kepala pasal pussies! 😎. Don’t kaka-cau cau him la, pls. Later PADU also gone case, if not yet gone case yet…..


Attached thumbnail(s)

ppl cum rob ur haus, kill ur kids n rape ur wife still wan nego apalj

M4A1: stop complaining ktards, this is the POTUS you rooted for.

Ada apa chip to nego

epal ifag: no guys, no retaliatory tariffs, semua barang bawak kasi bincang dulu

No telur kah our Menteri. Owai excess supply of telur since no telurs on the Menteri, can export to US.

so now itu Rafiji's formula can be put into use already or not? Can our car prices reduce?

Edited

This post has been edited by RiriRuruRara: Apr 3 2025, 04:01 PM

haha... typical madani style... always wait and see...

although in this case, may not be a bad idea.

I guess ts has no idea what tariffs are since he is asking for retaliation.

Few months back Zafrul said Trump's tariff has minimum impact to Malaysia..

Aduh, kad 3R tak leh pakai. Takkan nak pakai kad OKU.

Owaiii...

If nego means we will be advised to setup plants in the US.

If got biz in US, not an issue to setup plants in the US

Send Tony to talk to Trump. He knows how to handle Trump

naiseee base mustang 300+hp rm150-160k

Trump's message was clear,

mau jual Potong, assemble Potong in America

mau jual God Car, assemble God Car in America

mau jual durian, plant durian in America

mau jual kelapa sawit, start planting them trees in America

Exactly!

USA where got enough workers to do all that? They either need to import labor from Mexico or give Malaysians green cards to work in those industries. Many Malaysians will happily jump at the chance to earn USD.

Actually if everyone gets tarrifed -it means those that are tarriffed the least would have an advantage.

should cancel tarriffs on US.

good for consumers

tu la, some kastam HS codes the duty is ridiculous

they haven't been look at since our grandfather's time

then no one bothers to keep up with times

most of those things in the list we don't even manufacture them anymore

plotek plotek who?? easy for kastam to makan

retaliate by cancel all the MAS boeing 737 max 8 order? pissing off Trump at this moment is doing no good for Malaysia

The lowest in the Asia region is singapore at 10%

raised electrical tariff 10 fold especially on US embassy

the lowest in the world also 10%. can't ran away.

cukurr those US sanctioned countries like Russia Iran not considered

This post has been edited by ipohps3: Apr 3 2025, 11:24 PM