Why Did Asian Countries Give Trump So Much on Trade?

The new deals contain unusual concessions that could change the flow of goods in Asia.

Takaichi and Trump November 12, 2025, 11:59 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Trump’s Second Term

Ongoing reports and analysis

The Trump administration’s negotiators are in top shape these days. Within just the past few weeks, the United States clinched trade deals with four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)— Cambodia , Malaysia , Thailand , and Vietnam —and finessed the details of the investment pledges that Japan gave the White House in July. The spirit of all these accords is simple: In return for lower tariffs than those that U.S. President Donald Trump imposed or threatened, these economies are

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