Washington – sweep The definitions will be imposed by President Donald Trump Next month, they delivered the first official trip to its diplomats to Asia this week-and the United States seeks to strengthen relations with Indian and Pacific countries to confront China’s growing influence in the region.
Trump was sent on Monday Notice to several countries About high definitions if they do not deal with the United States, including a number of Asian countries. This step came just one day ago Foreign Minister Marco Rubio She planned to leave at a regional security conference in Southeast Asia, Malaysia.
The senior diplomats and senior officials from at least eight countries targeted Trump’s new definitions, which will enter into force on August 1, will be represented in the annual. The Association of Southeast Asian Countries The regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, which Rubio will attend on Thursday and Friday.
Foreign Ministry officials say the definitions and trade will not be the focus of Rubio during the meetings, which the Trump administration hopes to give priority to marine and security safety in the South China Sea, as China has become an increasingly aggressive towards its young neighbors, as well as controlling crime over patriotism.
However, Rubio may be subjected to severe pressure to avoid the issue of customs tariffs that bothered some of the closest allies and partners of America in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, which Trump says will face a 25 % tariff in the absence of the deal. None of these countries was a member of the Asian, but both will be represented in the meetings in Kuala Labor.
“The points of talking about the threat of China will not resonate with officials whose industries have been targeted from 30 to 40 %,” said Danny Russell, Vice President of the Asia Association Policy Institute and former Assistant Foreign Minister in East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration.
“In fact, when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week, Asian will deal with challenges” as a unified bloc ” – he was not talking about Chinese coercion, but about the American customs tariff.”
Among the ASEAN countries, Trump has so far announced up to 40 % of the customs tariffs on at least six members of the mass, including the meetings of the meetings in Malaysia, which will face a 25 % tariff mainly on electronics and imports of electrical products to the United States.
Southeast Asian countries, which the United States has not yet targeted, includes Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, which recently agreed to a trade agreement with Trump. The Trump administration has shattered most of Southeast Asian countries in an attempt to calm or reduce the push of China at least to control the region.
In Kuala Labor, Rubio is also likely to be face to face with the foreign ministers of two of the greatest opponents of America: China and Russia. American officials were unable to say whether it was planned for meetings with any short time – about 36 hours – that Rubio will be in Malaysia.
Russell pointed out that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is a veterans in such gatherings and “fluently in the principles of Asian and agreements”, while Rubio “is an ascending” trying to sell “America first” to a very skeptical audience.
Issues related to the two countries are still large, especially on Ukraine.
Trump expressed on Tuesday Winning with Russian President Vladimir Putin“I am not happy with him, I can tell you this extent now” as Moscow collects attacks in Ukraine amid the American leader’s pushing for a peace agreement.
Trump also announced that the United States The resumption of providing Ukraine with defensive weapons After the Pentagon announced Sudden Last week.
US officials continue to accuse China of re -supplying and renewing the military industrial sector in Russia, allowing it to produce additional weapons that can attack Ukraine.