Food, Fighter Jets Eyed as Southeast Asia Seeks to Avert Tariffs

Southeast Asian nations are pledging to increase purchases of a swathe of US goods to strengthen their case for lower tariffs, as the International Monetary Fund warned of significant economic fallout for the trade-reliant region.

Indonesia offered to buy more soybeans and wheat from the US, while Thailand could import more corn and the Philippines frozen meat, their respective governments announced this week. Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia could also step up imports of natural gas and purchase new commercial or military aircraft to balance out their trade surpluses with the US.

The deal-making rush from Southeast Asian nations comes after ...