By Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Hefty U.S. tariffs imposed on Southeast Asian countries will loom over a meeting between U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his regional counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday that is meant to discuss a trade and investment agreement.
Southeast Asian countries rely heavily on exports to drive economic growth, and there is great concern about the impact of the U.S. tariffs, which have been set at 19% and 20% for most of the region. Laos and Myanmar have been hit with a 40% rate, while Singapore has a 10% tariff.
“Whether we will be discussing tariffs, it’s something that we will see,” Malaysian trade minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who is hosting ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations for a