PUTRAJAYA, March 17 — The government will continue to engage with the US on a trade framework, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said today, clarifying the path forward after a previous agreement was rendered void.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting today, Fahmi confirmed that Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani will lead the ongoing talks with the US.
“The matter was raised during today’s Cabinet meeting. The minister of investment, trade and industry will continue to engage with Washington DC,” Fahmi told a press conference here.
He did not elaborate on the timeline or scope of the discussions, saying that there were no new developments to announce at this stage.
Fahmi’s clarification follows Johari's announcement on Monday that the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), signed last year, was now "null and void."
Johari had explained that the pact became inapplicable following a US Supreme Court decision that found the global tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump to be unlawful.
The ART was signed on October 26, 2025, during Trump's visit to Kuala Lumpur, but the two countries had yet to complete domestic legal procedures and exchange formal notifications for its ratification.
