Donald Trump’s latest act of trade brinkmanship risks creating a “tariff wall” around the manufacturing hubs of south-east Asia, leading to higher prices and tough choices for US consumers and industry, analysts warn.

US President Donald Trump's letters on tariff increases are sending shivers through Southeast Asia. Malaysia will face a 25 percent tariff, one percent higher than the rate announced in April. The country has expressed concerns that unilateral measures could disrupt business activities that benefit both countries.

Southeast Asia's biggest economies prepared on Tuesday to step up trade negotiations with Washington after it hit them with steep tariffs, despite a last-ditch flurry of offers to boost imports and slash levies on U.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia this week for meetings of Southeast Asian Nations in his first trip to Asia as America's top diplomat, the State Department said on Monday, even as President Donald Trump announced hefty tariffs on the hosts and other regional partners and allies.

Rubio will travel July 8-12 and take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose ministers are gathering there, the State Department said in a statement. He is also scheduled to meet with senior Malaysian government officials.