Anwar confirms US-M'sia tariff deal, Trump’s attendance at KL Asean summit after phone call

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that United States President Donald Trump will be announcing a tariff deal with Malaysia on Aug. 1, following a phone call between the two leaders on Jul. 31.

This comes after the Trump administration announced deals with several other Asian countries, including India, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline.

Deal to lower the tariff rate to be announced on Aug. 1

Trump had previously threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff rate on Malaysia's exports to the U.S. unless a deal was reached by Aug. 1.

However, according to official sources, as reported in The Straits Times (ST), a deal to lower the tariff rate to a maximum of 20 per cent, or as low as 15 per cent, should be announced on Aug. 1.

Anwar confirmed that he had called Trump

In an afternoon speech in Parliament, Anwar confirmed that he had called Trump in the morning on Jul. 31 and the two had discussed the issue of tariffs.

He said that Trump appreciated Malaysia's role as a facilitator in resolving the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, and that after the discussion and clarifications he made, Trump decided to postpone the announcement of the tariff rate to Aug. 1.

Anwar also confirmed that Trump will be attending the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur in October.

In his speech, as reported in Bernama, Anwar stated that he hopes the tariff decision "will not burden [the] nation's economy".

ST added that the call was proposed by the U.S. a few hours before, citing a top Malaysian government official with direct knowledge of the matter.

KL conceded on several issues

ST reported that Kuala Lumpur conceded on several issues, including halal certification and the supply of rare earths, a critical mineral used in advanced technological applications.

According to Bernama, Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz of Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said in a post on X that Malaysia is waiting for Trump's official reply on Aug. 1.

He said that "a joint statement will be issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and MITI to elaborate on the matters agreed on" after that.

Top photos via Anwar Ibrahim, Donald J. Trump/Facebook