New US tariffs pose threats to ASEAN nations

Experts: Latest move will undermine the stability of global supply chains

The United States has announced new tariffs for over half of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China's largest trading partners, which analysts said is a calculated escalation of Washington's efforts to reconfigure global supply chains away from Beijing.

The prospect of higher US tariffs could translate into higher prices for US consumers already grappling with persistent inflation and would undermine the stability of global supply chains, they added.

US President Donald Trump on Monday set out plans for a 40 percent tariff on goods from Myanmar and Laos, a 36 percent tariff on goods from Thailand and Cambodia, a 32 percent tariff on Indonesia, and a 25 percent tariff on goods from Malaysia.