Fate of US-Malaysia trade pact rests on Washington’s next move

2026.03.17 04:50 Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Johari Abdul Ghani. Photo: Facebook/joharighaniofficial Malaysia will wait for Washington to submit updated terms before deciding its next steps on their tariff deal, the country’s trade minister has said – just days after he declared the agreement had been rendered “null and void” by a US Supreme Court ruling. The government began the week on the back foot as allies and critics demanded clarity on the status of the multibillion-dollar deal with the United States, after Trade Minister Johari Abdul Ghani was reported on Sunday to have said it was no longer valid. His ministry later walked back the remarks, with Johari pivoting on Monday to say Malaysia had received no official notification from Washington that the deal had been cancelled. Negotiations to finalise the “Agreement on Reciprocal Trade” between the two countries were supposed to last five months after it was signed last October, the minister told reporters at an event in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Johari Abdul Ghani. Photo: Facebook/joharighaniofficial But he said Washington complicated that process when it launched investigations last week into alleged unfair trade practices by nearly 60 partner nations, including Malaysia. “When they get their findings, they will submit their proposal to us,” Johari was quoted as saying by the Malay-language daily Berita Harian. “We will take that and discuss their conditions.” The deal has been in limbo since February, when the US Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump had acted unconstitutionally by invoking emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs on US allies and adversaries alike. When unveiling his “Liberation Day” tariffs last April, Trump had argued the measures were necessary to correct years of trade imbalances that had benefited foreign partners at the expense of American businesses and consumers. Malaysia’s trade agreement – signed duri

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