PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) had described the meeting with their American counterparts in Washington last week as “positive”, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said today.
Fahmi said its minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz had briefed the Cabinet about the meeting today, saying the negotiations were centred around certain sectors — but more bilateral talks are needed.
“Tengku Zafrul said the meeting yielded a positive outcome,” Fahmi said at today’s post-Cabinet meeting press conference here.
“He tabled a report on what to do next and several sectors will be the focus of more negotiations.”
Yesterday, Miti announced that it has appointed its deputy secretary-general (trade) Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, one of its most experienced senior civil servants, as Malaysia’s chief negotiator for the upcoming formal tariff negotiations with the United States (US).
Tengku Zafrul said the US has also named one of its assistant United States trade representatives (USTR) to lead the talks, with both sides agreeing to begin discussions after Malaysia’s Cabinet gives the green light.
Tengku Zafrul said among the key focus areas are reducing tariffs, addressing non-tariff barriers — particularly in agriculture — and Malaysia’s trade surplus with the US, which currently stands at US$25 billion (RM108 billion).
Early this month, the US announced higher tariffs on imports from about 60 countries, including on most Malaysian goods at a rate of 24 per cent.
Subsequently, it granted a 90-day pause on the “reciprocal” tariffs for most countries to allow for trade negotiations.
On April 24, Tengku Zafrul led a delegation to meet with the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington to discuss the tariffs.
The outcome of the first round of US-Malaysia trade talks is expected to be further deliberated at the National Geoeconomic Command Centre (NGCC) meeting today, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
