KUALA LUMPUR, July 11. /TASS/. The countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed their concern about rising tensions in global trade, especially counterproductive tariffs.

"We expressed concern over rising global trade tensions and growing uncertainties in the international economic landscape, particularly the unilateral actions relating to tariffs, which are counterproductive and risk exacerbating global economic fragmentation and pose complex challenges to ASEAN’s economic stability and growth," according to the statement adopted following a meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers.

In this respect, the foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries underscored "the importance of a predictable, transparent, inclusive, free, fair, sustainable and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core."

The statement does not mention the United States regarding tariffs.

On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose customs duties on products from 185 countries. Russia is not on the list. Universal tariffs of 10% came into force on April 5, individual tariffs on April 9. Later Trump suspended the effect of the additional import duties imposed reciprocally on some countries for 90 days. The White House explained that the pause is related to trade negotiations, during which a "universal tariff of 10%" will be in effect.

On June 27, Trump said within about a week and a half that the US will notify a number of countries with which it will not sign separate agreements about the rates of duties on goods they supply to the US market. The US administration has begun sending out these notifications in the last few days.

The meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers was held on July 9 in Kuala Lumpur. A statement on its results was published on Friday.