ISKANDAR PUTERI: Malaysia has yet to receive any official letter from the United States regarding the possibility of a 300% import tariff on semiconductor chips, says Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz (pic).
The Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said the government is still waiting for an official announcement from US president Donald Trump’s administration.
“At the moment, we have yet to receive an official decision, so we will wait,” he said when asked by the media after launching the MBW Innexus Industrial City development at Forest City here on Wednesday (Aug 20).
On Aug 15, Trump reportedly said he would set levies on semiconductors in the coming two weeks, the latest indication he is readying a substantial expansion of his tariff regime.
He suggested the charge on imported semiconductors could be even higher, up to 300%.
On a separate matter, Tengku Zafrul said the government would be announcing the nation’s approved investments value for the second quarter of 2025 this Friday (Aug 22).
“The position of Johor, which topped the list in the first quarter, is looking positive but I do not want to reveal too much ahead of the announcement this Friday,” he added.
Johor emerged as Malaysia’s top investment destination for the first quarter of the year, recording RM30.1bil in approved investments.
