Ep 248: China, South East Asia & Asia Pacific Confront the Turmoil of Trump's Tariffs - Part 2

“ASEAN, being the fifth largest economy in the world, is deeply concerned over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the US, including the tariffs announced on 2 April and subsequently the suspension on 9 April… [These] will impact economic security and stability, affect livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN, particularly less developed economies.”

It’s unusual for ASEAN to word its statements so strongly. This week’s response highlights the diplomatically disguised fury throughout the Asia Pacific region. As the US government seeks to isolate China, trade diplomacy between nations across South East Asia and North East Asia is at its most frenetic level for many years. But as China, Malaysia (as ASEAN Chair), Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Australia try to coordinate their responses, what does it all mean for travel and tourism in South East Asia? And what about India?

On today’s show, Gary discusses the latest regional updates and cautions against making “long-term forecasts of more than 24 hours ahead” given the precarious nature of US policymaking. Nevertheless, the current situation is a crisis, despite Trump’s large-scale backtrack earlier this week, because of the centrality of China to all things economic across Asia Pacific.