Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that global trade is being weaponized as U.S. tariffs loom over Southeast Asia

Donald Trump’s latest act of trade brinkmanship risks creating a “tariff wall” around the manufacturing hubs of south-east Asia, leading to higher prices and tough choices for US consumers and industry, analysts warn.

China has been a fierce critic of sweeping U.S. tariffs that Trump announced on April 2. He later delayed the implementation of most but China, which has said it will respond with its own tariffs on U.S. imports, now faces a deadline next month to negotiate a deal.

Since 2016, the share of U.S. imports from China has fallen by nearly half, while imports from the Association of Southeast Asian

Asian markets largely shrugged off Trump’s latest announcement of tariff rates on some of its trading partners, as the U.S. president also seemingly pushed the start date for new taxes to August 1.

Southeast Asia's reciprocal tariff framework has prompted major IC substrate manufacturers to pause southbound investment evaluations. Meanwhile, Taiwanese and Chinese PCB producers expanding in Thailand face production challenges that are limiting order flows to suppliers including drill bit maker Topoint Technology and prepreg manufacturer Aurona Industries.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping his up his second and final day at a Southeast Asian security conference with a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow over i