THE UNITED States has agreed to commence formal negotiations with Malaysia to resolve tariff issues, said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
He said negotiations would focus on three areas - tariff reduction, non-tariff barriers and trade imbalance.
"The US and Malaysia have also agreed to strengthen enforcement on technology and IP rights protection," he said as reported by Bernama.
Tengku Zafrul said MITI has appointed its deputy secretary-general (trade) Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, one of its most experienced senior civil servants, as Malaysia’s chief negotiator.
The US has named one of its assistant United States trade representatives (USTR) to lead the talks, with both sides agreeing to begin discussions after Malaysia’s Cabinet gives the green light.
“We are now waiting for Cabinet approval before proceeding. The US side has agreed to engage, and both the USTR and Secretary of Commerce want to take this forward,” he told reporters during MITI’s open house today.
“On tariffs, we aim to reduce them - not necessarily to zero, but to a level that benefits both sides - while for non-tariff barriers, we are identifying fair areas to consider for easing.
“As for the trade imbalance, we have already reduced it by almost half over the last four years, from over US$40 billion to US$25 billion,” he added. - April 29, 2025
