As the deadline approaches for President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, economists at Morgan Stanley found it will be difficult for some of Asia’s biggest economies to reach a trade deal with the US in time.

President Trump had previously imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, resulting in retaliatory tariffs from China.

As govt begins its homework for the proposed trade deal with the US, it has indicated its willingness to engage in tariff reduction with Trump administration on a bilateral basis, arguing that with an "aggressive neighbourhood" in China duties cannot be lowered significantly for all trading partners,