ASEAN’s Collective Strategy Shields Southeast Asia from Global Trade Turbulence
Southeast Asia is emerging as a center of restraint and strategy amidst global trade turbulence sparked by U.S. tariffs.
While major economies respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs with talk of retaliation, ASEAN has chosen a different path - one of calm defiance, grounded in economic pragmatism and collective discipline.
ASEAN members, including Malaysia, are doubling down on multilateralism, using the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to shore up regional economic stability and defend the global rules-based order.
As the world teeters on the edge of another trade war, Southeast Asia is emerging as the unlikely center of restraint and strategy.
The decision is as much about survival as it is about strategy.
Author summary: ASEAN shields Southeast Asia from trade turbulence.