Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has held a meeting via video link with Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia's minister of investment, trade and industry, as Malaysia currently holds the rotating chair of ASEAN, said a statement released by China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.
The two sides held in-depth and candid exchanges on strengthening China-Malaysia and China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, as well as jointly responding to the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" raised by the United States.
Wang expressed China's readiness to strengthen communication and coordination with trading partners, including the ASEAN, and to resolve respective concerns through dialogue and consultation based on mutual respect, in a joint effort to safeguard the multilateral trading system.
He also said these so-called "reciprocal tariffs" ignore the hard-won balance of interests achieved through years of multilateral trade negotiations and the fact that the United States has long benefited substantially from global trade.
He described the U.S. move as a typical act of unilateral bullying that severely hurts the legitimate rights and interests of countries including China and ASEAN members.
Zafrul said Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has already issued a statement opposing the U.S. policy, noting that it runs counter to the principles of free and fair trade as set out by the World Trade Organization.
Malaysia fully respects China's stance and is committed to jointly supporting multilateralism and the advancement of global trade, the minister said, adding the country will engage in consultations with other ASEAN members to jointly respond to the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" and other moves proposed by the United States.
China, Malaysia discuss economic cooperation, joint response to U.S. tariffs
