Malaysian prime minister urges US to adopt more active ASEAN trade agenda

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on 12th May urged the United States to adopt a more active trade and investment agenda with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying this would benefit Washington economically and strategically.

马来西亚首相Ismail Sabri Yaakob 5月12日敦促美国与东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）采取更积极的贸易和投资议程，称这将在经济和战略上使华盛顿受益。

Speaking in Washington, where ASEAN leaders are gathered for a two-day summit with President Joe Biden, Ismail Sabri made clear some of the frustration felt in Asia since former President Donald Trump quit a regional trade pact in 2017.

Ismail Sabri在华盛顿与总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）举行为期两天的峰会，在华盛顿发表讲话时，伊斯梅尔·萨布里明确表达了自前总统Donald Trump于 2017 年退出区域贸易协定以来亚洲所感受到的一些挫败感。

He said the United States was an important partner for ASEAN, as its largest foreign direct investor and second largest trading partner, with two-way trade of US$308.9 billion in 2020.

他表示，美国是东盟的重要合作伙伴，是东盟最大的外国直接投资者和第二大贸易伙伴，2020年双边贸易额达3089亿美元。

Ismail Sabri told a forum of US businesses and other ASEAN leaders the COVID-19 pandemic had made clear the importance of international trade and cooperation and the interlinkage of regional supply chains.

Ismail Sabri在美国企业和其他东盟领导人论坛上说，COVID-19 大流行清楚地表明了国际贸易与合作以及区域供应链相互联系的重要性。

"Therefore the US should adopt a more active trade and investment agenda with ASEAN, which will benefit the US economically and strategically," he said.

“因此，美国应该与东盟采取更积极的贸易和投资议程，这将有利于美国的经济和战略，”他说。

Ismail Sabri pointed to the entry into force of the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), a Chinese-backed initiative, which ASEAN saw as an important tool to invigorate regional business and economic activity through a marked reduction in trade barriers.

Ismail Sabri指出区域经济全面伙伴关系（RCEP）的生效，这是一项中国支持的倡议，东盟将其视为通过显着减少贸易壁垒来振兴区域商业和经济活动的重要工具。

He said there were some 6,200 US companies operating in ASEAN, many of which used the region as a production platform to export in the region and beyond.

他说，约有 6,200 家美国公司在东盟开展业务，其中许多公司将该地区作为生产平台，向该地区及其他地区出口。

"To further their growth, I would encourage US businesses to tap into the largest FTA, with a market covering 15 countries, comprising 2.3 billion, or nearly a third of the global population and world GDP, and take advantage of the vast investment opportunities presented," he said.

“为了促进它们的增长，我将鼓励美国企业利用最大的自由贸易协定，市场覆盖 15 个国家，包括 23 亿人口，占全球人口和世界 GDP 的近三分之一，并利用所提供的巨大投资机会“ 他说。

At a virtual summit with ASEAN last October, Biden said Washington would start talks about developing an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) to engage more with the region as the United States seeks to push back against China's growing influence.

在去年 10 月与东盟举行的虚拟峰会上，拜登表示，随着美国寻求反击中国日益增长的影响力，华盛顿将开始讨论制定印太经济框架 (IPEF) 以与该地区进行更多接触。

This would aim to set regional standards for cooperation, but does not currently offer the expanded market access Asian nations crave given his concern for American jobs.

这将旨在为合作制定区域标准，但鉴于他对美国就业的担忧，目前并未提供亚洲国家渴望的扩大市场准入。