Thailand will strictly enforce rules to prevent trade circumvention, says minister
BANGKOK :Thailand's plans to strictly enforce rules of origin to prevent trade circumvention, give greater access to U.S. products and promote Thai investments in the United States, its finance minister said on Wednesday, as it seeks to negotiate over steep U.S. tariffs.
Thailand will also increase imports of U.S. produce including energy, farm goods and aircraft, Pichai Chunhavajira said.
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Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
S'poreans defend ministers' business class selfies after LinkedIn post sparks fuss
SINGAPORE: A woman caused a bit of a stir online after calling out in a LinkedIn post government officials who post selfies when they fly business class for official trips. In her post, the woman, whose bio says she is a joint managing partner at a law firm, writes an open letter to political officeholders. 'I know it's important to signal that you're hard at work and that promises made during the election period were not empty ones. I hereby clap for you. But sharing photos of you dashing about on work trips IN A BUSINESS CLASS SEAT is distinctly counterproductive. It's a humblebrag.' She added that the only acceptable situation for posting a selfie on the plane would be when one performs a heroic act, but took that back, saying it 'would not be cool either.' When a commenter on her post said that office holders could travel first class, and therefore the post had not been a humble brag, the post author doubled down, saying it was 'tone deaf from a comms angle.' Another commenter, who had seen a recent post of this nature from a top government official, wrote, 'It's literally just him with the headrest, talking about being glad to go home,' and added that the woman's post is 'so unnecessary.' The post author clarified that she was not referring to anyone in particular. 'I don't know who 'him' in your post refers to. I'm not talking about any specific POH or any specific post. I wouldn't be so cowardly as to do that without stating details. I've noticed a number of posts showing politicians doing this and think it's counterproductive from a comms perspective, and it's this trend I'm addressing,' she replied. The commenter fired back with, 'Regardless of who it is, I find virtue signalling on this or bringing this up in the tone that you did, tone deaf, when there are actual bread and butter issues Singaporeans really care about, than this. This just sounded like office water cooler gossip to me.' On Reddit, where the LinkedIn post was shared, and then later on, taken down, some of the commenters were more pointed. 'Why the snarky remarks? Only bigshot lawyers can take Business Class? Please… Stay in your own lane,' wrote one. 'I have zero issues with my taxpayer monies being used to fly a political office holder on business class for work. In fact, I want that for him. Better to have him well-rested and well-fed so that he can handle the important negotiations and discussions that affect the future of this country,' opined another. 'What is she trying to stir? Flying commercial in business class on work trips is not anywhere flaunting wealth or power lor. If the politician took selfies in a private jet, then can bring out the pitchforks and torches,' asked a Reddit user. /TISG Read also: Woman in LinkedIn post about meeting Piyush Gupta says her social media manager made up the story and demanded S$5K to take it down See also Hong Kong approves jail terms for 'upskirt' shots
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
‘Make space for Singaporeans to dream': Business struggles spark debate featuring Calvin Cheng over rent, manpower, and the future of local business
SINGAPORE: A recent Facebook post by businessman and former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng has stirred heated conversation online, after he suggested that rising rents are not the primary cause of Singapore's F&B crisis—and that the government should resist interfering in the free market, especially by imposing rental controls or mandating support for local entrepreneurs. Cheng didn't shy away from admitting that the closures have been heartbreaking—familiar neighbourhood hangouts, late-night bars where friends gathered, even family-run cafes that felt like home, have all folded one after another. Yet he urged us to pause before pointing fingers at landlords. 'Most mall spaces are still taken,' he reminded readers, suggesting that behind every lease negotiation is a landlord weighing risks—sometimes betting on higher rents only to discover too late that demand has shifted. In his view, it's not a matter of landlords callously letting spaces sit empty; it's a delicate, often agonising decision that can leave both tenant and landlord worse off if the timing or market dynamics don't line up. 'It is simplistic to just blame rentals,' he wrote. 'Most of the time, landlords also take a gamble during renewal… If they make the wrong decision, they may end up with a lower rent.' Cheng also claimed that many local F&B entrepreneurs overestimate their financial capacity and falter due to inexperience, rather than being unfairly priced out. Manpower shortages and government policy While defending the market's self-regulation on rents, Cheng was more critical of the government's stance on manpower quotas, especially in the service sector. He asserted that tight restrictions on hiring foreign workers could have led to increased labour costs and service inefficiencies. See also Stories you might've missed, June 16 'I am often served by young, inexperienced and/or disinterested local service staff who never see F&B as a long-term career,' he said. 'If the government really wants to do something, they should relax the quotas on foreign manpower.' Cheng concluded that excessive government intervention in the market often leads to unintended consequences: 'When local entrepreneurs shut down, everyone loses their livelihoods anyway.' Yet Cheng's criticism of young local workers in the F&B sector has struck a raw nerve among many Singaporeans, especially youth and their families, who see part-time service jobs not as careers, but as lifelines. In a country where the cost of living continues to rise sharply—from transport fares to food prices and education costs—40% of polytechnic and university students take up part-time work at cafés, fast-food chains, or bubble tea outlets simply to make ends meet. For some, it's pocket money. 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Credit: Calvin Cheng Facebook 'If a business has been around for more than 15 years, they must have been doing something right. And if they have to close, something external must have gone terribly wrong,' she said. See also MOM: 3 workplace fatalities in 2020 to date 'Lease renewal should be renamed Lease Increment Exercise,' she concluded her comment. Huang recounted how only one leasing agent she encountered in 30 years showed genuine empathy toward tenants, suggesting that most decisions in the space are coldly transactional. A bigger question: What kind of country do we want? Do we want a country where only the biggest players can afford the rent and survive, or do we want to make sure there's still breathing room for the smaller spots that give our neighbourhoods personality? It's tempting to let free-market forces decide—after all, high-profile brands bring in foreign investments and big leases fuel massive growth. 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CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Japan trade negotiator says progress made in US tariff talks
TOKYO: Japan had made some progress in a fifth round of trade talks with United States officials aimed at ending tariffs that are h urting Japan's economy, Tokyo's chief tariff negotiator said. "Tariffs have already been imposed on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum, and some of them have doubled to 50 per cent along with 10 per cent general tariff. These are causing daily losses to Japan's economy," Ryosei Akazawa, said in Washington on Friday (June 6) after talks with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa declined to say what progress they had made. The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between senior Japanese and US officials before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit that starts on June 15, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Japan also faces a 24 per cent tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with Washington. "We want an agreement as soon as possible. The G7 summit is on our radar, and if our leaders meet, we want to show what progress has been made," Akazawa said. "Still we must balance urgency with a need to guard our national interests," he added. Last month Japan's trade negotiator said US defence equipment purchases, shipbuilding technology collaboration, a revision of automobile import standards and an increase in agricultural imports could be bargaining chips in tariff talks. In a bid to reach an agreement with the US, Japan is also proposing a mechanism to reduce the auto tariff rate based on how much countries contribute to the US auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday.
