Mahathir Urges ASEAN to Create United Front Against U.S.; Warns High Tariffs Will Be ‘Very Damaging for America'

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should create a united front in negotiations with the United States, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The following is excerpted from the interview, which was conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent Tetsuya Mizuno.
***
America is a big market. High tariffs affect the market; it hurts the market. Exporters to America face troubles. They can't sell as much as they used to. But America itself is going to face a lot of troubles. This is because America needs import; without it, the American industries cannot function, especially without micro-processors or microchips. [U.S. President Donald] Trump has put a pause on electronics because he knows that he needs the electronics to keep supplies in the American industries. He has already given in. Later, he has to give in more. Things will be expensive in America.
Other countries will also suffer. Other countries should work together to continue this world trade. The trade should go on with an enhancement. They should take the place of America to supply certain things.
It will take time. It is disruptive. I think very soon America will have to solve Trump's high tariff.
The high tariff will create a shift away from America. This would be permanent. America will lose a lot of its trade because people will be able to get from other sources. Once they have been identified from other sources, they will not go back to America.
It is inevitable the U.S. reduces its trade by high tariffs. People will have to look for other partners. China provides good partnership. China has great technological capabilities. It can produce whatever the U.S. produces. It will take a little time. It will be soon.
Trump does not want to side with ASEAN. He wants to deal with individual countries, because the country will be weak.
ASEAN coming together and putting a united front in negotiation with the U.S. is the best approach.
The better future for ASEAN is when there is no dominant country, not China, U.S., nor anyone.
It is not that ASEAN is leaning toward China. It is America who pushes ASEAN to China. If America does not impose high tariffs, we [ASEAN] want to be friendly with the U.S. and China, which both are big markets. But America rejects ASEAN, pushing us toward China.
We need a market. China is the biggest market for Malaysia. If America pushes us, we have no choice but to go to China.
The recovery after World War II was partly due to the Marshall Plan. The package supported the European countries' recovery.
Following that, there are trends on globalization and the borderless world, which has contributed to world trade. What Trump is doing now is to reverse the Marshall Plan.
We should go back to the world trade system. We should give more power to the WTO.
Japan is a great investor. Malaysia had been able to industrialize because of the Japanese investment. Japan has a big role to play to help countries in Southeast Asia with industrialization and trade.
Right now, Japan is in the trough. But I have great faith in Japan and Japanese people who are coming up with new ideas and products, especially in the field of medicine. I think Japan will catch up and recover. It may not be in the industrial products, but there are other sectors where Japan can excel.
A democratic system has failed in a selection of leaders.
A lot of bad leaders like people who do not believe in climate change, people who believe that the solution to the conflict is to go to war, these people are now in charge in many countries. That is why we have the problems.
Japan should not be a neighbor of the U.S. only, but a neighbor to the rest of the world. It should be an enabler for the rest of the world. Japan should consider the best thing for Japan in the world, not as a partner of the U.S.
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir, 99, entered politics after working as a general practitioner. He served as Malaysian prime minister twice, from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He promoted the modernization of his country, advocating the Look East Policy, an economic policy modeled after Japan and other countries.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Mainichi

an hour ago

• The Mainichi

Editorial: Directionless G7 must find its footing after Trump-dominated Canada summit

In an effort to portray unity at all costs, the Group of Seven (G7) advanced industrial nations has failed to deliver a clear message or offer any effective solutions to halt global instability. Standing frozen at this 50th-anniversary milestone, the group's inability to provide meaningful prescriptions highlights its waning influence. The G7 summit took place in Canada, focusing primarily on conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and maintaining the free trade system. Yet it concluded without proposing significant new measures to support Ukraine, nor did it advance meaningful dialogue about the crucial need for free trade. Although a joint statement addressed the Middle East situation, its contents were deeply skewed -- defending Israel, which recently launched attacks on Iran, while harshly criticizing Iran itself. A failure by the G7 to present viable solutions to crises such as war and economic uncertainty demonstrates that it has not lived up to its responsibilities as a key guardian of the international order. U.S. President Donald Trump's preferences strongly shaped the agenda and outcome documents, yet Trump himself departed early, rendering hollow any facade of unity that had been orchestrated. Despite the G7 being originally envisioned as a forum for coordination among Japan, the U.S. and Europe, Trump relentlessly pursued only his "America First" objectives. This behavior must be called out as self-serving. However, the other nations were afraid of the talks collapsing entirely, and thus chose instead to obediently follow Trump's lead. This, too, was problematic; a vigorous exchange of views would have better clarified key issues. Japan also shares partial responsibility for this failure. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba presented information on Chinese and North Korean military activities as "Asia's representative." Although he reportedly expressed "concern under international law" regarding Israel's actions, the firm stance he displayed before the summit faded away. Such behavior risks appearing to endorse Western double standards, effectively giving Israel preferential treatment while emphatically condemning Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. Historically, Japan has built trust with Palestine and Iran through sustained humanitarian assistance and investment. This reputation, carefully established over many years, could now face damage. The inward-looking stance demonstrated by the G7 this year has likely caused disappointment among the emerging and developing nations collectively known as the Global South, which are already pressured by major-power politics. If the G7 continues to tacitly accommodate states such as Russia and Israel, which are attempting to alter the status quo through force, suspicion will only deepen. Moreover, global confidence in the rules-based international order may suffer lasting harm. The G7 urgently needs to clarify and correct its own approach. Rather than continuously relying on U.S. leadership, Japan, Europe and Canada should instead proactively work toward stabilizing and safeguarding global order.

Nikkei Asia

3 hours ago

• Nikkei Asia

Mitsubishi Corp. bets big on US solar with $3.9bn expansion plan

Energy Trump tariff pressure spurs shift to US made solar components With vast tracts of land, the U.S. provides abundant opportunities for solar power development. SHIN WATANABE TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp. will boost its solar power generation capacity in the U.S. by 160% by 2028, Nikkei has learned, with a total project cost estimated at $3.9 billion. The company will source equipment from local suppliers and take advantage of tax incentives for solar development in the U.S.

Yomiuri Shimbun

3 hours ago

• Yomiuri Shimbun

Trump Says He May Change His Mind about Firing Fed Chair Powell

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday again floated the idea of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair he has long attacked over interest rates he wants lowered. 'I don't know why the Board doesn't override (Powell),' Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social criticizing Fed policy. 'Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to change my mind about firing him? But regardless, his Term ends shortly.' Trump added: 'I fully understand that my strong criticism of him makes it more difficult for him to do what he should be doing, lowering Rates, but I've tried it all different ways.' Fed chairs have long been seen as insulated from presidential dismissal for reasons other than malfeasance or misconduct, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise with frequent threats to fire Powell. Trump nearly as frequently reverses course on those threats. 'I'm not going to fire him,' he said at the White House on June 12. The Fed held rates steady on Wednesday in the 4.25%-4.50% range and forecast slower growth as well as higher unemployment and inflation by year's end. Fed Governor Chris Waller, who has been floated as a possible Trump pick to be Powell's successor, said on Friday that with inflation coming down and the labor market showing signs of weakening, rate cuts should be considered as soon as July. But even Waller joined Wednesday's unanimous Fed decision to leave rates on hold, signaling no inclination by any of Powell's six fellow Board members, or of the five voting regional Fed bank presidents, to 'override' him. Fed decisions are typically reached through consensus, and more than a couple of dissents would be rare. Elected partly on voters' belief that he could contain high inflation, the Republican U.S. president has imposed tariff hikes in office. Powell, echoing an academic consensus, has said some of those tariff hikes will be paid for in higher consumer prices. Powell's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate a successor in the coming months. A Supreme Court ruling in May eased concerns that Trump could fire Powell as the justices called the Fed 'a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.'