KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s delegation to the United States (US) regarding President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs must present a strong narrative by highlighting the country’s robust business ecosystem and strategic investment opportunities, said the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).
This comes as Putrajaya prepares to dispatch its officials to Washington on April 23, 2025, to initiate dialogue on the 24% reciprocal tariffs imposed on Malaysia.
AmCham chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan Maire Das said Malaysia has a strong rationale for multinational corporations (MNCs) to invest in the country, as MNCs also contribute to building the small and medium enterprise (SME) ecosystem.
“It’s not separate; they are interconnected. One of the things we need to understand locally is what we can do here in Malaysia to strengthen our position so that the authorities heading to the US can (confidently) speak about that strength,” she said to reporters after presenting a panel discussion at Bursa Malaysia today.
Siobhan said chambers such as AmCham have been engaging with both the US and Malaysian governments, but much of their dialogue takes place behind closed doors, with the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti) holding productive meetings.
“I think the authorities are reaching out. However, while we could be doing a lot more, our bandwidth is limited, especially with Malaysia chairing ASEAN. Therefore, I believe we respectfully need to find opportunities to sit down and talk,” she said.
She noted that AmCham’s Washington “doorknock” will take place in July, where representatives will meet with the US government to address business concerns and opportunities.
Siobhan highlighted that direct engagement between companies and the US administration typically occurs through MNCs, which relay their concerns and opportunities back to the US government.
Meanwhile, Bursa Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar emphasised the need for the Miti delegation to maintain Malaysia’s position as a country that is not aligned with any particular nation while building relationships with all countries and joining existing trade blocs.
“We also need to continue enhancing intra-Asean trade, which I believe is very important, and to leverage bilateral trade with neighbouring countries. In the context of Asean, we are aware that there is still much room to strengthen trade among Asean countries,” he said.
On April 2, 2025, Trump announced a series of reciprocal tariffs on imports from about 90 countries, going beyond the 10% blanket tax imposed on all imports into the US.
This move directly increased import duties on several of Washington’s major trading partners, including Malaysia, now facing a 24% tariff.
Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that Putrajaya would be dispatching officials to Washington to begin dialogue with the US regarding the 24 per cent reciprocal tariffs imposed on Malaysia.
Trump, however, announced a pause on the planned tariff hikes for most countries for 90 days, aiming to calm jittery markets following a period of volatility. – April 14, 2025