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ASEAN Summit in Malaysia Highlights 0% US Tariff, Regional Cooperation, Myanmar

This Week

The 47th ASEAN Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 26–28 October, brought together leaders from Southeast Asia and partner countries to discuss trade, regional cooperation, and pressing geopolitical issues.

Over the first two days, the summit featured high-level meetings on economic agreements, regional security, and sustainable development, while also addressing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

Key outcomes included US trade concessions for select ASEAN nations, ASEAN’s stance on Myanmar’s upcoming elections, and Laos’ active participation in multiple summits highlighting regional partnerships.

US Grants Zero Percent Tariffs to Key ASEAN Nations Under New Trade Deals

On 26 October, the summit saw the United States take a major step to strengthen economic ties with Southeast Asia, approving a zero percent import tariff for select products from Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. 

This move reverses earlier 19 percent retaliatory tariffs and was formalized under newly signed agreements during the meetings.

Thailand and the US reached a “Reciprocal Trade” Framework Agreement to expand bilateral economic ties and investment. Thailand is committed to purchasing US agricultural products, energy supplies, and aircraft worth over USD 20 billion.

In exchange, Bangkok agreed to remove tariffs on nearly 99 percent of US goods, while the US granted a zero percent tariff for certain Thai products, with specific items yet to be disclosed.

Malaysia secured exemptions for three key sectors: aerospace equipment, pharmaceuticals, and major commodities, including palm oil, cocoa, and rubber. 

Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz noted that the move would boost Malaysia’s export competitiveness and strengthen commercial relations with the US.

ASEAN Declines to Send Observers to Myanmar Elections

Following discussions on trade, ASEAN leaders addressed the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Southeast Asia’s ASEAN bloc will not send observers to Myanmar’s elections in December, diplomatic sources said on 27 October.

ASEAN chair Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim repeated calls for an “immediate ceasefire”.

Leaders of the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, meeting in Malaysia, voiced “deep concern” over the conflict and warned of “a lack of substantive progress” towards peace, in a statement on 25 October.

A second diplomat confirmed there was no consensus among members to deploy a mission under ASEAN’s banner.

Not sending ASEAN observers “will certainly be a blow to Myanmar’s legitimacy aspirations”, said Mustafa Izzuddin, an international affairs analyst with consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore.

“There will be no credible evidence to suggest that free and fair elections were held.”

Voting will not take place across large swathes of the country controlled by pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armies fighting the military regime.

European Union commissioner Kajsa Ollongren has also ruled out sending observers, calling the planned elections neither free nor fair.

“Based on these criteria, we will not send observers to something that we don’t recognize as an election,” she told AFP.

Myanmar remains a member of ASEAN, but its leaders have been barred from the bloc’s meetings since the coup.

Other members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, with the newest member, East Timor, joining on Sunday.

UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews had earlier urged ASEAN not to “legitimize the junta’s charade” by sending monitors, warning that to recognize the “fraudulent election would be to move Myanmar backward and defend the indefensible.”

Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Leads Delegation Across Four Summits

Amid discussions on trade and regional challenges, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone led his country’s delegation, attending four major summits on 27 October: the 26th ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit, the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the 20th East Asia Summit, and the 15th ASEAN-UN Summit.

At ASEAN-ROK, leaders welcomed the 2026–2030 action plan on trade, investment, tourism, the digital economy, and climate change. 

The ASEAN Plus Three Summit focused on innovation, clean energy, economic integration, and food security, with a joint declaration on regional economic and financial cooperation adopted.

At the East Asia Summit, participants marked 20 years of cooperation, prioritizing energy, disaster management, digital transition, and transnational crime, while ASEAN-UN discussions highlighted progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and climate resilience.

On the sidelines, Prime Minister Sonexay met with Vietnamese and Cambodian counterparts to reaffirm trilateral cooperation on political, security, economic, energy, and tourism matters, noting recent joint defense and disaster relief initiatives.

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