JAKARTA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has announced that Indonesia was working closely with Malaysia to respond to new reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States.

According to a press release issued by the ministry Friday, the announcement came following a series of high-level meetings between Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and senior Malaysian officials in Kuala Lumpur.

The move came after the U.S. government introduced the tariff policy on Wednesday, placing a 32-percent tariff on Indonesian products and 24 percent on goods from Malaysia.

While meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday, Airlangga highlighted Malaysia's role as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025.

"It is very important to encourage the strengthening of cooperation of all ASEAN countries in facing various global challenges, including the response to the U.S. reciprocal tariff policy," he said.

Following the meeting, Airlangga met with Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia's minister of investment, trade and industry. The two officials acknowledged that the U.S. tariff policy poses a major challenge to the dynamics of global trade and discussed ways to strengthen ASEAN's regional economy.

The Malaysian trade minister noted that in today's uncertain global climate, ASEAN unity is essential. "ASEAN unity is no longer an option, but a must. Let us strengthen the regional economy for shared prosperity," he said.

Airlangga also called for closer coordination among all ASEAN member countries, since all are affected by the new U.S. tariffs.

"It's necessary to synchronize between ASEAN countries because all 10 ASEAN countries are affected by the U.S. reciprocal tariff policy, so it is necessary to collectively build communication and engagement with the U.S. government," he noted. Enditem

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