The trade war rages on

Poor prospects: At press time, China was reported to have minimal interest in continuing trade discussions with the United States, citing ‘little sincerity’ on Washington’s part. — AFP

The tit-for-tat trade battle between the United States and China, if it materialises into a full-blown war, will cause disruption to Asean’s growth before anything else.

“Disruption is first order, diversion is second order,” Maybank Kim Eng (Maybank KE) senior economist Chua Hak Bin says, referring to Washington diverting its attention to Asean for trade and investments, as a result of its standoff with Beijing, and vice versa.