Sweeping tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump next month may overshadow his top diplomat’s first official trip to Asia.

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.

Vietnam remains the region’s largest apparel exporter to the U.S., sending roughly $18.6 billion worth of goods in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cambodia follows with $7.8 billion, then Indonesia at $6.4 billion, Thailand at $2.7 billion, and Malaysia at $1.6 billion.