00:00Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he has engaged in high-level talks with the U.S. after it
00:07imposed sweeping tariffs on Malaysia and some 180 other countries on Wednesday.
00:13While Anwar said the impact of the 24 percent reciprocal tariff on Malaysia is uncertain,
00:18he was confident the country could weather the resulting economic impact if ASEAN put
00:23up a united front with the help of other leading Asian nations.
00:27He said he has personally contacted several individuals close to U.S. President Donald
00:32Trump, while Foreign Minister Mohamed Hassan received a call from U.S. Secretary of State
00:37Marco Rubio yesterday to continue negotiations.
00:42Anwar said he spent yesterday discussing the tariffs with ASEAN leaders to reach a consensus,
00:46adding that he will also contact the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea to ensure
00:51that they come up with a coordinated response.
00:55He said his discussions with ASEAN leaders saw them agree that the regional bloc should
00:59proceed cautiously.
01:01According to the Trump administration, the U.S. had to deal with 47 percent trade barriers
01:05from Malaysia, a claim Putrajaya denied.
01:09In an executive order signed by Trump on Wednesday, Malaysia was hit with a 24 percent reciprocal
01:14tariff by the U.S. effective April 9.
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