JakartaPost-Apr 7
President Prabowo Subianto jetted off to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday as he intensified communications with world leaders amid international trade uncertainty stemming from the United States’ sweeping import tariffs. According to a statement from the Presidential Secretariat, Prabowo was scheduled to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at his official residence in Putrajaya on Sunday night, before returning to Jakarta on the same day. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said that Prabowo made the journey to exchange pleasantries with Anwar as part of the Idul Fitri tradition of silaturahmi (extending communal bonds). While Teddy failed to confirm if a discussion on the US import tariffs will be on Sunday’s meeting agenda, Prabowo, Anwar, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Philippines President Bongbong Marcos had previously discussed the topic by phone on Friday. As chair of the bloc this year, Anwar said that Malaysia is pushing for ASEAN to form a collective response that will uphold the principles of fairness and equity in all trade negotiations. “The upcoming ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting will continue deliberations on this matter and seek the best possible solution for all member countries,” Anwar said on X on Friday. The meeting is slated for April 8-10. A 10 percent baseline tariff on US imports from all countries began taking effect on Saturday and has already sent shockwaves across international trade. A second round of even bigger tariffs will hit nations the US has large trade deficits with, including Indonesia and six other ASEAN countries, starting from April 9. The so-called “reciprocal tariff” Indonesia must contend with stands at 32 percent. The figure is lower than Vietnam’s 46 percent and Thailand’s 36 percent, but higher than Malaysia’s 24 percent, the Philippines’ 17 percent and Singapore’s 10 percent rates. International relations expert Teuku Rezasyah said on Sunday that Prabowo likely met with Anwar to ensure that ASEAN member states can put up a united front on the import tariffs. “It is difficult to garner ASEAN solidarity because [the import tariffs] have pitted member states against each other. But Prabowo and Anwar will at the least work strongly to find a common ground,” Teuku said. He went on to say that Prabowo could be making more diplomatic trips in the coming weeks as the President, given his focus on foreign policy, could be a “mouthpiece” to advocate for more favorable tariffs on developing countries in any future discussions with US President Donald Trump. Prabowo’s only interaction with Trump so far came when he called to congratulate Trump on his election victory in November of last year. The two praised each other and talked up the possibility of holding a meeting, but it has yet to come to fruition.
Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2025/04/07/prabowo-connects-with-world-leaders-amid-concerns-over-us-tariffs.html.
