THE Cabinet is expected to discuss the 25 percent import tariff imposed by the United States (US) on Malaysia tomorrow.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Malaysia can still negotiate with the US on the tariff until August 1.
“(During) the 90 days that the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz negotiated with them, it seemed like they gave us until August 1 to continue (the negotiations) but he has already increased (the tariff) from 24 to 25 percent.
“We will wait. I think the Cabinet will discuss this matter tomorrow,” he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Taylor’s International School Kuala Lumpur (TISKL) Campus Transformation Project, today.
Earlier, the US was reported to have imposed a higher tariff of 25 percent on all Malaysian products exported to the country, effective August 1 this year, separate from all sectoral tariffs.
The figure is one percent higher than the tariffs announced in April.
In a letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, US President Donald Trump said the 25 percent figure was far lower than what was needed to eliminate the imbalance in the trade deficit that the US was experiencing with Malaysia.
Johari, who is also the Member of Parliament for Titiwangsa, said that the country's total commodity exports to the US were only about RM20 billion out of the total RM186 billion.
However, he said that of the RM20 billion, Malaysia was not the exclusive supplier.
"It does not produce palm oil, oleochemical products (and) rubber gloves, but we have to compete with other countries," he said.
Johari at the same time also rejected the risk that Malaysia's participation in BRICS would cause the US to further increase import tariffs imposed on the country.
According to him, Malaysia also needs to find new markets other than the US.
“In this world, we have over 190 countries. Just because one country does this to us, does not mean we can't survive.
“We can and we have to find new markets,” he said. - July 8, 2025
