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Look instead at the 50 states, each evolving and innovating in its own way, some thriving and some facing challenges
by HABHAJAN SINGH
A KEY to understanding the US is to stop getting overly excited about what comes out of Washington. This is especially true with Donald J Trump serving as president.
“We’re all fixated on Washington, DC, which is completely inexplicable and completely dysfunctional…But here’s how people should interpret the US. We are not Washington, DC. We’re not the drama of modern-day pop media.
“We are 50 individual states. Each state has its own constitution, legislature, universities and governor. They innovate differently. They educate differently. And they compete against each other. I know that because I used to run one of the states,” Jon Huntsman, former ambassador and scion of a billionaire family, told a business gathering on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur (KL) last week.
Huntsman, who is vice chairman and president of strategic growth at Mastercard Inc, sought to help the crowd at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2025 understand how to negotiate with the US and with Trump. He was speaking just hours before Trump was scheduled to arrive in KL for the ASEAN gathering.
“So, if you’re looking at Washington, DC, and the message is one of dysfunction… you’re looking in the wrong place. You need to look at the 50 states — they’re all moving, all innovating, all doing it. Some are healthy, some are not so healthy. And that’s kind of the way the US runs,” he said.
The 65-year-old Huntsman served as the 16th governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he was the US ambassador to Russia from 2017 to 2019, to China from 2009 to 2011, and to Singapore from 1992 to 1993.
Decoding Trump has become a vital exercise for nations around the world, as Trump has imposed some of the highest tariff rates seen since the 1930s.
Huntsman reminds that whatever is true today in trade negotiation will be different in 10 or 20 years
Trade Negotiations
On trade negotiations, Huntsman — who himself has participated in numerous talks — reminded everyone that whatever is true today will be different in 10 or 20 years.
“Everything we negotiated 20 years ago is irrelevant today because the world is moving that quickly. If I sat down and gave you the trade agreement we did with Malaysia or with China — I had so many great friends I negotiated across the table with — but they’re all completely dated and anachronistic,” he said.
He left participants of the two-day seminar with both a message of hope and a note of caution as the world continues to evolve.
“America is a great country because America has the ability to heal its wounds and repair its faults. We make mistakes all the time, but we figure out how to fix them. So, any mistakes made today will be repaired in the years to come,” he said.
He added that competition is always present — and healthy — because when nations compete, they innovate and move forward.
However, Huntsman expressed concern that as the digital economy becomes increasingly ubiquitous, it risks leaving behind a segment of the population.
“The threat of a digital divide — and I’m speaking specifically of ASEAN, not to mention the rest of the world — is real. ASEAN will soon be the fourth-largest economy in the world. It’s made up of small businesses and micro-enterprises — 87% of the companies in ASEAN, contributing 50% of GDP.
“One of the great concerns, and something everyone in this room should be thinking about, is how we can address and alleviate the possibility of leaving behind so many people who can’t keep up with artificial intelligence (AI). We talk about AI like it’s something we all just do without a second thought. But many people have no access to it,” he said.
He warned that if the gap is not addressed, it could leave the world in a “very destabilised place”.
Liew urges both Europe and ASEAN to take themselves more seriously and create new markets (pic: MEDIA MULIA)
New Markets
In the same panel discussion, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong was asked what he would like to see European countries do to forge closer ties with ASEAN — especially amid growing concern about being dominated by the US and China, the two economic superpowers flexing their might.
Liew said he would urge both Europe and ASEAN to take themselves more seriously.
He noted that for six to eight decades, Asia and Europe — particularly Germany — have grown wealthy by exporting to the US.
“We have built into our mindset that we are producers, and the US is the market. We have regarded the US as the consumer of last resort and, in many instances, the consumer of first resort.
“And therefore, we are all stuck — because suddenly, the US is putting up a wall and saying: ‘If you want to sell to us, pay more’,” he said.
He added that while countries seek new markets in the name of diversification, they must also consider how to build a larger consumer base.
Technology and ASEAN’s Role
On the technology front, Liew said ASEAN will likely remain in the middle of the global supply chain in the coming decade.
“We have to accept that in the years to come, ASEAN technology is unlikely to surpass that of the US, China, Japan or South Korea. But we are in the middle,” he said.
Still, he emphasised that ASEAN nations play an indispensable role.
“When you think about it, if you combine the semiconductor supply chains of Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, not many other regions have that level of technology outside China, Europe and the US. So, it is essential. It is essential — but it’s also acceptable that we are not at the top,” he said.
- This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
The post Huntsman: To understand the US, look beyond Washington appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.
