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Southeast Asia prepares for factories fleeing Trump tariffs on China
Nov 9, 2024 12:54 PM

*

President-elect Trump has threatened 60% tariffs on US

imports

from China

*

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia see signs of factories

relocating

from China

*

Chinese investments expected in autos, electronics,

semiconductors, say industrial park developers

*

Risk of Trump expanding tariffs to Southeast Asian

countries,

analysts say

By Devjyot Ghoshal and Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Companies have been moving

factories from China to Southeast Asia, anticipating Donald

Trump would slap high tariffs on Beijing if he regained the

White House, a move set to accelerate with his election win,

industrial park developers in the region say.

Trump, who won a resounding victory on Tuesday, has

threatened 60% tariffs on goods coming into the U.S. from China,

much higher than the levies of 7.5% to 25% he imposed in his

first term, a major risk for the world's second-largest economy.

Southeast Asia - with auto and electronics factories from

Thailand to Vietnam and Malaysia - will likely benefit at

China's expense, said two executives, two business groups, a

lawyer and an analyst in the region.

Developers of industrial parks are adding Chinese speakers

and preparing land tracts for factories, a sign of how Trump,

who takes office in January, could reshuffle global supply

chains.

As Trump geared up his campaign to retake the presidency

earlier this year, calls from Chinese customers flooded WHA

Group, one of Thailand's largest industrial estate

developers, said CEO Jareeporn Jarukornsakul.

"There was (already) a relocation to Southeast Asia, but

this round is going to be more intense," she said, referring to

Trump's 2017-2021 first term.

WHA is expanding its sales force and adding Chinese speakers

to teams overseeing maintenance and administration of industrial

parks spanning more than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) in

Thailand and Vietnam, Jareeporn said.

Of the 90 factories that have opened this year in industrial

parks run across Southeast Asia by Thailand's Amata Corp

, some two-thirds have been companies relocating

facilities from China, said Vikrom Kromadit, the developer's

founder and chairman.

TRUMP 'NEEDS SOME FRIENDS'

Trump will be a "big punch" to China, potentially doubling

the number of firms looking to move from there into Amata's 150

square km (60 square miles) of industrial estates in four

Southeast Asian countries, Vikrom said.

Construction begins this month on an Amata industrial park

in Laos, where China has built a high-speed rail line connecting

Kunming in southwestern China to the Laotian capital Vientiane,

he said.

Thailand, a regional automobile manufacturing hub, has drawn

over $1.4 billion in investment from Chinese automakers into its

fast-expanding electric vehicle industry.

"We want a lot of investment from China so we can sell to

America," said Thai Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan.

"I believe this will happen," told reporters on Thursday.

"The Americans love us, the Chinese love us - we don't have to

choose sides."

Malaysia, hoping to draw over $100 billion in new

investments to its semiconductor sector, could benefit from a

realignment of supply chains, said leaders of two business

groups.

"This shift could provide Malaysia with new opportunities to

capture a larger share of exports to the United States and other

key markets," said Soh Thian Lai, president of the Federation of

Malaysian Manufacturers.

But risks persist, particularly with some indications that

Trump may consider tariffs on imports from countries across the

region, said Leif Schneider, head of international law firm

Luther in Vietnam.

Vietnam, a major exporter to the U.S. with $90 billion

bilateral trade surplus between January and September, is

bracing for volatility under Trump.

"Trump will have to choose - you can be anti-China, but

you'll need to have some friends in Southeast Asia," said WHA's

Jareeporn. "He is a negotiator, so we will negotiate."

(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Chayut Setboonsarng in

BANGKOK, Additional reporting by Ashley Tang in KUALA LUMPUR and

Francesco Guarascio and Phuong Nguyen in HANOI)

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