Trade pact with US set to boost Malaysia’s polymers feedstock edge

economy 03 Nov 2025

Under the deal, Malaysia will grant expanded access to US exports in key industrial and agricultural sectors—including chemicals, metals, machinery, vehicles, and processed foods

Perjanjian Perdagangan Timbal Balik Malaysia–AS, ditandatangani di Kuala Lumpur pada 26 Oktober 2025, menandai fase baru dalam hubungan bilateral antara Amerika Serikat dan Malaysia. Perjanjian ini akan mulai berlaku enam puluh hari setelah ratifikasi dan bertujuan memperluas akses pasar, menyelaraskan kerangka regulasi, serta memperdalam kerja sama dalam keamanan rantai pasokan antara kedua negara.

Berdasarkan kesepakatan itu, Malaysia akan memberikan akses yang meluas bagi ekspor AS di sektor industri dan pertanian besar termasuk bahan kimia, logam, mesin, kendaraan, dan produk makanan olahan, sementara AS akan menahan tarif timbal balik rata-rata sebesar 19% dan memberikan pembebasan bea masuk (zero-duty) untuk sejumlah produk asal Malaysia tertentu.

Malaysia juga akan menyederhanakan hambatan non-tarif seperti perizinan impor baja, tumpang tindih sertifikasi halal, dan penilaian kesesuaian yang berulang.

Implikasinya terhadap industri petrokimia dan plastik Malaysia dinilai sangat signifikan. Produk di bawah HS Chapter 39 yang mencakup PE, PP, dan turunan resin lainnya berasal dari AS, akan mengalami liberalisasi tarif bertahap sebagaimana diuraikan dalam Jadwal TL Malaysia (MCDO 2022).

Jangka waktu liberalisasi bervariasi tergantung jenis polimer. PE dan bahan kemasan akan bebas bea sepenuhnya dalam lima tahun, sementara PP, PET, dan polimer khusus akan mengalami penurunan bertahap selama sembilan tahun.

Penghapusan bea masuk secara langsung berlaku untuk polistirena, resin teknis, dan plastik daur ulang, guna mendukung daya saing downstream dan tujuan ekonomi sirkular.

HS Code	Description	Unit	MFN Import Duty Rate	Staging Category
3901101200	Polyethylene containing 5% or less alpha-olefin monomers	kg	0.1	EIF
3901101900	Other	kg	0.1	EIF
3901109200	Polyethylene containing 5% or less alpha-olefin monomers	kg	0.1	EIF
3901109900	Other	kg	0.1	EIF
3901200000	Polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0.94 or more	kg	0.1	EIF
3901300000	Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers	kg	0	A
3901400000	Ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers, having a specific gravity of less than 0.94	kg	0	A
3901904000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3901909000	Other	kg	0	A
3902103000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3902109000	Other	kg	0	A
3902309000	Other	kg	0.1	EIF
3902901000	Chlorinated polypropylene of a kind suitable for use in printing ink formulation	kg	0	A
3902909000	Other	kg	0	A
3903111000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3903119000	Other	kg	0	A
3903191000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3903192000	Granules, pellets, beads, flakes, chips and similar forms	kg	0	A
3903199000	Other	kg	0	A
3903204000	In aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3903205000	In non-aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3903209000	Other	kg	0	A
3903304000	In aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3903305000	In non-aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3903306000	In the form of granules	kg	0.1	R5
3903309000	Other	kg	0	A
3903903000	In dispersion	kg	0.1	A
3903909100	Impact resistant polymers of styrene, having notched izod impact at 23°C less than 80 J/m	kg	0	A
3903909900	Other	kg	0	A
3904101000	Homopolymers, suspension type	kg	0.1	R5
3904109100	In the form of granules	kg	0.1	R5
3904109200	In the form of powder	kg	0.1	R5
3904109900	Other	kg	0.1	R5
3904211000	In the form of granules	kg	0.1	R5
3904212000	In the form of powder	kg	0.1	R5
3904219000	Other	kg	0.1	R5
3904221000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3904222000	In the form of granules	kg	0.1	R5
3904223000	In the form of powder	kg	0.1	R5
3904229000	Other	kg	0.1	R5
3904301000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904302000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904309000	Other	kg	0	A
3904401000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904402000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904409000	Other	kg	0	A
3904504000	In dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3904505000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904506000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904509000	Other	kg	0	A
3904611000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904612000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904619000	Other	kg	0	A
3904693000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3904694000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904695000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904699000	Other	kg	0	A
3904903000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3904904000	In the form of granules	kg	0	A
3904905000	In the form of powder	kg	0	A
3904909000	Other	kg	0	A
3905120000	In aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3905191000	In the form of liquids or pastes	kg	0	A
3905199000	Other	kg	0	A
3905210000	In aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3905290000	Other	kg	0	A
3905301000	In dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3905309000	Other	kg	0	A
3905911000	In dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3905919000	Other	kg	0	A
3905991000	In aqueous dispersion	kg	0.1	R5
3905992000	In non-aqueous dispersion	kg	0	A
3905999000	Other	kg	0	A
3906101000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3906109000	Other	kg	0	A
3906902000	In dispersion	kg	0	A
3906909200	Sodium polyacrylate	kg	0	A
3906909900	Other	kg	0	A
3907100000	Polyacetals	kg	0	A
3907210000	Bis(polyoxyethylene) methylphosphonate	kg	0	A
3907291000	Polytetramethylene ether glycol	kg	0	A
3907299000	Other	kg	0	A
3907302000	Of a kind used for coating, in powder form	kg	0	A
3907303000	In the form of liquids or pastes	kg	0	A
3907309000	Other	kg	0	A
3907400000	Polycarbonates	kg	0	A
3907501000	In the form of liquids or pastes	kg	0.1	R5
3907509000	Other	kg	0.1	R5
3907610000	Having a viscosity number of 78 ml/g or higher	kg	0.15	R10
3907691000	Granules and similar forms	kg	0.15	R5
3907699000	Other	kg	0.15	EIF
3907700000	Poly(lactic acid)	kg	0.05	EIF
3907912000	Granules and similar forms	kg	0	A
3907913000	In the form of liquids or pastes	kg	0.1	R5
3907919000	Other	kg	0.1	R5
3907994000	Of a kind used for coating, in powder form	kg	0.1	R5
3907995000	Thermoplastic liquid crystal aromatic polyester copolymers	kg	0	A
3907996000	Polybutylene succinate (PBS)	kg	0.1	R5
3907999000	Other	kg	0.1	EIF

Category Key:
EIF (Entry Into Force) – Customs duties eliminated entirely (duty-free) immediately upon entry into force of the Agreement.
R5 – Duties reduced immediately to 5% ad valorem upon entry into force.
R10 – Duties reduced immediately to 10% or 15% ad valorem, respectively, upon entry into force.
A – Duties remain bound at current MFN rates (0%, 2%, 3%, or 5% ad valorem) upon entry into force.

Para analis mengatakan pemotongan tarif bertahap bagi ekspor AS ke Malaysia bisa mengubah arus perdagangan regional dengan memperkecil selisih biaya pengiriman antara kargo asal Pantai Teluk AS dan Asia. Hal ini bisa meningkatkan daya tarik Malaysia sebagai pusat redistribusi dan konversi (pengubah) produk berdasarkan polimer, khususnya dari AS. Namun, dampak waktu dekatnya masih belum pasti di tengah kelebihan pasokan regional dan lemahnya permintaan di China serta Asia Tenggara.

Namun demikian, para pengkritik memperingatkan pemberian akses luas bagi AS bisa mengurangi otonomi kebijakan Malaysia di sektor industri sensitif, dengan berpendapat penyelarasan ekonomi lebih dalam tidak boleh mengorbankan kedaulatan. Keberhasilan perjanjian ini, menurut mereka, akan bergantung pada kemampuan Malaysia menyeimbangkan keterbukaan pasar dengan penentuan arah strategis sendiri di tengah perubahan peta blok perdagangan global.

Written: Aiman Haikal

Country
Malaysia