White House Statements on ASEAN Trade Negotiations: October 2025

The United States (U.S.) has made a series of statements on the status of trade negotiations with the following members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.   

The statements do not include the full details of the agreements, and in some cases refer to ongoing discussions and areas for further resolution. In all four cases, the U.S. has declared that its stated “reciprocal tariffs as announced in June remain in place, and that in all cases the Asian nation will reduce its import tariffs on US originating goods to 0%.” 

However, the U.S. will provide for a series of product-specific exemptions to the 19% tariff. Reports suggest that these relate to key exports from these economies including agricultural produce such as palm oil, cocoa and rubber.

These agreements also refer to commitments to reduce or remove non-tariff barriers to U.S. agricultural exports as follows: 

Malaysia has committed to:  

• Provide ‘significant preferential accesses for U.S. agricultural exports including ‘dairy, horticultural products, poultry, processed products, beverages, pork, rice, and fuel ethanol. 

• Address and prevent non-tariff barriers to U.S. food and agricultural products in the Malaysian market, including: 

• By accepting currently agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities. 

• Streamlining halal and facility registration requirements to facilitate imports of U.S. food and agricultural products. 

• Implementation of regionalization of the U.S. for animal diseases. 

Thailand will: 

• Address and prevent barriers to U.S. food and agricultural products in the Thai market. including expediting access for U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-certified meat and poultry products.  

• Address trade irritants and ensure requirements imposed on U.S. horticultural products, (including for distiller dried grains with solubles), are science- and risk-based.   

• Accept currently agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities.   

Cambodia will: 

• Provide non-discriminatory market access for U.S. agricultural goods as set forth in this Agreement. 

• Ensure that its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are science- and risk-based and do not operate as disguised restrictions on bilateral trade and shall remove unjustified SPS barriers in areas that undermine reciprocity. 

• Not enter into agreements or understandings with third countries that include: 

• Non-scientific, discriminatory, or preferential technical standards. 

• SPS measures that are incompatible with U.S. or international standards. 

• Otherwise, disadvantage U.S. exports to such third countries. 

Vietnam will: 

• Provide preferential market access for substantially all U.S. industrial and agricultural exports to Vietnam. 

• Address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products in the Vietnamese market, regarding U.S. regulatory oversight and acceptance of currently agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities.  

• In the case of Vietnam, the statement also refers to ‘twenty memorandums of understanding’ that Vietnamese companies have signed with U.S. companies to purchase U.S. agricultural commodities, with a total estimated value of over $2.9 billion. 

These statements all refer to trade facilitations that would reduce costs and uncertainties in handling cold chain logistics between the U.S. and these countries and reflect GCCA priorities for improved safe and secure trade. However, it is worth noting the language difference across these four statements in related and overlapping areas. In all cases the commitments are to further discussion and actions, NOT immediate outcomes. Further developments are expected before agreements are implemented in full.