Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque announced that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s economic team is set to convene on April 8 to strategize the Philippines’ response to the U.S. government’s upcoming implementation of reciprocal tariffs, scheduled to take effect on April 9.
The meeting comes in the wake of a call from Malaysia for a coordinated ASEAN response to the sweeping U.S. tariffs introduced under former President Donald Trump’s policies.
“We are really going to do that,” Roque said, confirming the Philippines’ intent to support the initiative led by Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair. “Yes, of course, as we all work together as ASEAN.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier reached out to several regional leaders—including President Marcos, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Singaporean President Lawrence Wong, and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah—to discuss the development of a unified ASEAN response.
Vietnam, for its part, has taken a different approach, asking the United States to delay the imposition of the new tariffs. In return, Hanoi has offered to eliminate all tariffs on U.S. exports to Vietnam.
The U.S. tariffs are expected to significantly impact ASEAN economies, with steep rates targeting several member states: 49% on Cambodian goods, 48% on Laos, 46% on both Vietnam and Myanmar, 36% on Thailand, 32% on Indonesia, 24% on Malaysia, and 17% on the Philippines.
Secretary Roque also noted that she has already requested a meeting with her U.S. counterpart to discuss the future of bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
Who are the members of the economic team