KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — United States (US) President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are keen to witness the signing of a reciprocal trade agreement between their countries during Malaysia’s chairmanship of the 47th Asean Summit next month.
Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said that Trump had conveyed his desire to witness the signing of the pact to US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
Greer revealed this to him during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 57th Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) Meeting and Related Meetings yesterday.
Similarly, on his social media platform yesterday, Anwar said he hopes that negotiations can be concluded, with the deal being signed soon.
Emphasising the strategic importance of finalising the ongoing Reciprocal Trade Agreement with the US, he said it would help guide policy and business planning for both countries.
In an exclusive interview with Bernama at the AEM, Tengku Zafrul said that both countries had agreed on the key fundamentals and were finalising the wording of the agreement.
“This morning, our team was also negotiating with US officials. We have agreed on the key fundamentals, which we announced recently.
"All the issues are resolved. Now it is just about preparing the agreement.
“So, we are committed to that and have been working towards the deadline. I had a bilateral with Greer yesterday and a one-on-one meeting the day before, where we all agreed to try and resolve the wording of the agreement quickly,” he said.
The minister added that this is crucial so that Malaysia and the US can conclude and sign the agreement when both leaders meet during the Asean Summit.
On September 9, Anwar, who is the current chair of Asean, confirmed Trump will visit Malaysia next month in conjunction with the 47th Asean Summit.
The summit also marks the fifth time Malaysia is holding the chairmanship, after previously doing so in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
