KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 4 -- Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has defended Malaysia's Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) with the United States, saying it was crucial to protect jobs, businesses and investments in the country.

In an online video, Tengku Zafrul said the agreement was necessary to ensure that the current 19 per cent tariff, among the lowest in the region, would remain in place.

He warned that without the ART, US tariffs on Malaysian goods could have reverted to 25 per cent, threatening local employment and economic stability.

The minister also addressed comments by Pandan MP Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who criticised the agreement as being coercive rather than mutually beneficial. ...