KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will negotiate tariffs with the United States on its own, citing differences in national circumstances, priorities, and conditions compared with India, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The Foreign Minister said that Malaysia will conduct negotiations with the US based on its own terms, as there are certain issues that differ from the situation with India.
“Tariff negotiations between Malaysia and the US are not the same as those between India and the US.
"We cannot be grouped together. Our circumstances are different, our needs and priorities differ from theirs, and the conditions imposed are also not the same,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) on whether Malaysia and India could negotiate tariffs jointly to talk with the US.
Mohamad Hasan, fondly known as Tok Mat, added, “My Indian counterpart told me: ‘Be very careful,’ because negotiating with the US is extremely challenging,” he said.
The Foreign Minister said that while India is generally considered a close partner of the US, it was previously subjected to tariffs of up to 50%, which have since been reduced to 18%.
However, Mohamad said India cannot apply the new rate until the agreement is ratified.
“For Malaysia, our tariff was reduced from 25% to 19%, while India’s was reduced from 45% to 18%. So a difference of around 1% is acceptable,” he said.
On Feb 7, India and the US released a joint statement on a trade deal, confirming the US would cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%. Final negotiations are still ongoing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Malaysia last weekend for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Both leaders witnessed the exchange of 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and documents covering various sectors of cooperation between the two countries at Seri Perdana.
On the visit, Mohamad said bilateral trade between Malaysia and India has been steadily growing, approaching US$19bil, with Malaysia enjoying a trade surplus
In 2025, total trade between Malaysia and India reached RM79.49bil (US$18.59 bil).
During the visit, he said discussions were focused on enhancing trade, security, semiconductor and cybersecurity cooperation, among others.
Efforts were also made to facilitate travel between the two countries for both Malaysian and Indian citizens.
