KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Malaysia is among 18 nations that have managed to have early discussions with the US government on its “reciprocal” tariffs, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim disclosed today.

He said Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz met with officials in Washington DC during a visit from April 22 to 24 to discuss the matters, with encouraging results.

“The visit was to explore opportunities for cooperation, to identify what Malaysia could offer them, and to appeal for the US to consider exempting Malaysia from the retaliatory tariffs,” Anwar said during today’s special parliamentary sitting to address the US tariffs.

“So far, Malaysia has offered to address several non-tariff barriers listed in the United States’ 2025 National Trade Estimates Report,” he added.

Anwar also said meetings with Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, and Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce, were constructive.

“Following those meetings, the Cabinet and the National Geoeconomic Coordination Centre (NGCC) have agreed to allow Miti to begin formal negotiations with the United States,” he said.

Apart from that, the Special Asean Economic Ministers’ Meeting that Malaysia hosted o April 10 also resulted in key agreements on how the bloc will respond as a collective.

“We have a strong economy backed by 640 million people, hitting US$4 trillion dollars in 2024. Any stance on American tariffs must be made as a collective Asean bloc.

“Despite these negotiations being in the early stages, there is a possibility that the retaliatory tariffs imposed could be reduced,” said Anwar.

He added, “Once again, I must stress that this process is still at an early stage, and no agreement has been finalised by either side.”

In April 2025, the Trump administration imposed a 24 per cent “reciprocal” tariff on Malaysian imports to the United States, as part of a broader “Liberation Day” trade policy that also included a universal 10 per cent tariff on most imports from other countries.

This is currently on a 90-day pause, with the universal rate being imposed.