Asian governments are reacting with shock and anger to President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats. Trump sent letters to 14 foreign governments on Monday, with 10 of them going to Asian countries. The letters warned of new tariffs starting August 1 unless these countries work harder to make trade deals with the United States.
According to Politico, the letters arrived in the middle of the night across the Pacific. Foreign governments were not told beforehand that the letters were coming. Officials from countries that got the letters said they were surprised and frustrated by Trump’s approach. A former Japanese official said the reaction could be described as “shock,” “frustration,” and “anger,” sentiments that align with Trump’s own admission that he can’t be president for all Americans.
One official from a government that received a tariff letter expressed their confusion clearly. “We have no idea what the hell he’s sending, who he’s sending it to, or how he’s sending it,” reflecting Trump’s often confusing public statements,” the official said. This shows how unprepared these governments were for Trump’s sudden move.
Asian leaders worry about damage to US relationships
The timing of these letters is particularly bad for the United States. More than a dozen Asian foreign ministers are meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this week for an annual summit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also attend this meeting. Asian officials worry that Trump’s actions could hurt years of work to build stronger ties between the US and Asian countries.
Former US ambassador Scot Marciel said the meeting will have “polite smiles” on the surface, but privately, there will be “a firmer message that the US is creating a big problem here.” Six of the 10 ASEAN member countries received tariff letters from Trump. These countries include Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, and Brunei, along with Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Singapore.
China sees this as a chance to get closer to these Asian countries. Chinese officials said they want to work with regional countries to “defend free trade and the multilateral trading system.” A former Japanese official warned that Trump’s tariffs are “the greatest geopolitical gift to China” and could push Asian countries closer to Beijing instead of the West.
The Japanese government was particularly upset by suggestions from White House officials that Japan and other countries have not been engaged enough in talks. A former Japanese official pointed out that Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa “has been visiting Washington DC almost weekly.” They said Japan has been “fully engaged” in discussions with the US, even if they have not agreed to all American demands.
Not all Asian officials reacted the same way to Trump’s letters. Some saw them as typical political theater from the Trump administration. Others viewed the letters as giving them three more weeks to negotiate before any tariffs would start. A Washington-based diplomat from one of the countries said “negotiations are ongoing” and called the letters “just posturing.”
Trump defended his approach during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He said the United States wants relationships with other countries, but claimed that “in every case, they treated us far worse than I’m treating them.” White House officials say they are using their leverage to get better deals from these countries, especially Japan and South Korea.
Published: Jul 9, 2025 03:38 pm