U.S. secures new Asian trade deals to boost ag exports

On Sunday, Ambassador Jamieson Greer announced that President Donald J. Trump has secured new Agreements on Reciprocal Trade with Malaysia and Cambodia and reached frameworks for future agreements with Thailand and Vietnam. The administration says these efforts are part of an ongoing push to expand market access for U.S. goods and strengthen economic ties across Asia.

“President Trump continues to secure historic trade deals to lower tariffs on U.S. exports and eliminate trade barriers, strengthening America’s economic and national security interests,” said Ambassador Greer. “These landmark deals demonstrate that America can maintain tariffs to shrink the goods trade deficit while opening new markets for American farmers, ranchers, workers, and manufacturers. I thank my counterparts from Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam for their collaboration and commitment in achieving a more balanced trade relationship with the United States.”

According to the statement, the new U.S.–Malaysia Agreement offers U.S. exporters unprecedented access to Malaysia’s market, including preferential treatment for industrial goods such as machinery, metals, and electrical equipment. Agricultural exports stand to benefit significantly, with Malaysia pledging to streamline import licenses and accept existing U.S. regulatory certificates for dairy, poultry, pork, rice, and ethanol.

Malaysia also committed to high environmental and labor standards, along with cooperation on digital trade and intellectual property protection. Notably, Malaysia has agreed to refrain from export restrictions on critical minerals and rare earth elements, creating new opportunities for U.S. investment in those sectors.

The U.S.–Cambodia Agreement eliminates tariffs on 100 percent of U.S. industrial and agricultural goods entering Cambodia. The deal also includes commitments on labor protections, environmental enforcement, and digital trade, while strengthening supply chain cooperation. Cambodia will adopt new labor measures to prohibit the import of goods produced by forced labor and to improve enforcement of labor laws.

Frameworks for Thailand and Vietnam are also being finalized. Thailand has agreed to eliminate tariffs on 99 percent of U.S. goods and address long-standing non-tariff barriers in agriculture, industrial goods, and digital trade. Vietnam will provide preferential access for nearly all U.S. industrial and agricultural exports and work to streamline regulatory approvals for U.S. vehicles, pharmaceuticals, and food products.

Agricultural groups responded positively to the announcement. The National Corn Growers Association said the deals could have a major impact on export demand for corn, ethanol, and distiller dried grains with solubles.

“This is all very good news for the nation’s corn growers. Eliminating tariffs on ethanol exports to Malaysia and Cambodia will boost demand. We are encouraged to see that the framework for Thailand included agriculture purchases of corn and DDGS. The announced framework for Vietnam is also promising, as this is already a robust market for DDGS and corn growers are well positioned to supply corn and ethanol as well,” said NCGA President Jed Bower. “We look forward to reviewing more details on the frameworks for Thailand and Vietnam. Corn growers have been calling for deals that will open new markets, and we applaud the Trump administration for listening and acting on our request.”

Each of the agreements will undergo domestic formalities in the coming weeks before entering into force. The administration expects the deals to expand market opportunities for U.S. producers while promoting balanced, reciprocal trade across the region.