White House Announces Multiple Trade Deals Following President Trump’ s Tour of Asia( continued from page 8)
• suspend the new“ Affiliates Rule” recently issued by the U. S. Department of Commerce under the Export Administration Regulations, beginning November 10, 2025;
• suspend U. S. port fees on Chinese-owned and-operated ships, beginning November 10, 2025; and
• extend certain Section 301 tariff exclusions through November 10, 2026.
Critically, because no written agreement yet exists between the United States and China, it is unclear whether either country will find the other’ s actions satisfactory. Should one country not live up to expectations, it is possible that trade relations between the two countries could again deteriorate.
Should one country not live up to expectations, it is possible that trade relations between the two countries could again deteriorate.
Following the discussions between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Xie Feng, China’ s Ambassador to the United States, heralded the“ recalibrating [ of ] the direction of bilateral relations” but warned that“ Taiwan, democracy and human rights, path and system, and development rights are China’ s four red lines.”
President Trump Secures Trade Deals and Investment Commitments with Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam The United States also concluded deals with Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Many of these deals involve sector commitments, described below.
Investment Commitments Both Japan and South Korea have committed to large-scale investments in the United States aimed at bolstering energy, manufacturing, advanced technology, and supply chain resilience. These proposed public and private sector investments are part of Tokyo’ s and Seoul’ s commitment to invest $ 550 billion and $ 350 billion, respectively, in the United States.
Notably, South Korea— which had previously struggled to finalize its July trade deal with the United States as a result of reported U. S. pressure to provide its investment
“ upfront”— will invest $ 20 billion annually, up to $ 200 billion, and designate another $ 150 billion for shipbuilding activities in the United States.
Malaysia likewise has agreed to“ facilitate, to the extent practicable” investments worth $ 70 billion in the United States, while the United States has agreed to consider investment opportunities in both Malaysia and Cambodia through the U. S Export-Import Bank.
Tariff Amendments The reciprocal tariff rate for products imported into the United States from Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam remains the same as the rates announced in Executive Order(“ EO”) 14326( i. e., 15, 15, 19, 19, 19, and 20 percent, respectively).
Notably, the trade deals with Cambodia and Malaysia contain certain product-specific tariff exemptions based on Annex III to EO 14346, while the frameworks with Thailand and Vietnam state that the United States will,
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