Levies to hit SE Asia economies

Higher-than-expected new tariffs unveiled by the United States are likely to hurt Southeast Asian economies, analysts warn, saying that the region has long relied on free trade to boost its growth.

The impact of Washington's so-called reciprocal tariffs would be uneven among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, they said.

Vietnam and Thailand, which have bigger export sectors, are expected to bear more of the brunt of the increased tariffs. Meanwhile, the impact on the Philippines and Singapore would be limited as these two countries were slapped with relatively lower rates.