As US tariffs on China surged over the past decade, South and Southeast Asia became key destinations for foreign and Chinese companies to diversify their supply chains.

But with US President Donald Trump’s protectionist swing going truly global in his second administration, these nations now find themselves caught in the crossfire – facing some of the highest tariffs in the world and a rapidly shifting global trade order that could pinch American consumers.

Many regional leaders publicly celebrated the new US tariff figures when they were released last week, keen to remind domestic audiences that they were lower than those initially threatened by Trump.

But analysts and economists warn the new levies are still historically steep and should not be shrugged off.

“It’s a gut punch to th

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