For years, countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand have worked to turn themselves into alternatives to China for factories making the bags, electronics, shoes and auto parts that eventually end up in the United States.
That is now poised to change after President Trump on Wednesday aimed his most punishing tariffs at countries in Southeast Asia.
The news came as a hammer blow to American companies that have come to depend on factories in the region amid growing U.S.-China trade tensions. Some were asking: Where to now?
“This is much worse than what most of us had anticipated,” said Sonal Varma, chief economist for Asia excluding Japan at Nomura, the Japanese bank.
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There were no illusions that any one country in Southeast Asia would be spared, but the size of the tariffs was a shock, as many of these countries are trade partners and allies with the United States.
Tracking Trump’s First 100 Days ？ The Trump administration’s previous actions on North American tariffs
March 31 Said there would be no exemptions for tariffs set to begin on April 2 ？ March 29 Said he ‘couldn’t care less’ if car prices went up in response to his tariffs ？ March 26 Announced 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and car parts ？ March 24 Threatened 25 percent tariffs against any country that buys Venezuelan oil ？ March 13 Warned other countries that they should not retaliate against the tariffs the United States is putting on their exports ？ Earlier entries about North American tariffs
See every major action by the Trump administration ？
Trump Took a Wrecking Ball to Southeast Asia’s Role as an Alternative to China - The New York Times
Singapore, a close partner of the United States, said it was disappointed by the imposition of 10 percent tariffs despite a free-trade agreement with the United States and said that it would engage with the United States to understand how it calculated the tariffs.
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