His ministry later walked back the remarks, with Johari pivoting on Monday to say Malaysia had received no official notification from Washington that the deal had been cancelled.
Negotiations to finalise the “Agreement on Reciprocal Trade” between the two countries were supposed to last five months after it was signed last October, the minister told reporters at an event in Kuala Lumpur.
But he said Washington complicated that process when it launched investigations last week into alleged unfair trade practices by nearly 60 partner nations, including Malaysia.
“When they get their findings, they will submit their proposal to us,” Johari was quoted as saying by the Malay-language daily Berita Harian. “We will take that and discuss their conditions.”
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