SUPP leader: S'wak shows minority education can thrive with national unity
In a time when education is often hijacked by political agendas, Sarawak shines as a model of inclusive, forward-thinking governance, declared Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) central youth chairperson Kelvin Lau.
His statement came in support of Sarawak's Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development, Roland Sagah Wee Inn, who recently reaffirmed that Chinese independent schools are neither outsiders nor an afterthought in the state's education landscape.
'Its steadfast support for independent Chinese schools is...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
US-China trade talks to resume in seven days: White House
WASHINGTON: Trade negotiations between US and Chinese officials are expected to resume within seven days, following a phone call between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. The discussions will place particular emphasis on rare earth minerals, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro confirmed on Friday. "We expect that a meeting will take place within seven days," Navarro told reporters at the White House, commenting on the timeline of the next round of trade talks. Navarro stated that Trump has been clear that "the rare earth issue will be key to that negotiation", as reported by Sputnik/RIA Novosti. The US delegation will include Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, according to Navarro. The advisor also mentioned that Thursday's call between Trump and Xi lasted approximately 90 minutes, during which both leaders demonstrated "a very clear understanding" of the expected outcomes of the upcoming discussions. Trump later shared on Truth Social that he had discussed "some of the intricacies" of the US-China trade deal with President Xi. He also announced that he had accepted Xi's invitation to visit China and extended a reciprocal invitation. Following high-level trade and economic talks in Geneva earlier in May, Washington and Beijing agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs by 115 percentage points each for 90 days. The US has reduced tariffs on Chinese goods from 145 per cent to 30 per cent, while China has cut tariffs on American imports from 125 per cent to 10 per cent. Later that month, Trump accused China of "totally violating" the Geneva agreement and remarked that "it is extremely hard" to reach a deal with Beijing.–BERNAMA
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
US, China officials clash at Shanghai business event
SHANGHAI: US and Chinese officials traded barbs at a celebration held by a US business chamber in Shanghai on Friday, as the chamber appealed to both countries to provide more certainty to American businesses operating in China. Scott Walker, consul general of US consulate in Shanghai, told a gathering of US businesses aimed at celebrating the 110th anniversary of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai that the US-China economic relationship had been unbalanced and non-reciprocal "for far too long." "We want an end to discriminatory actions and retaliation against US companies in China," he said. In a speech that directly followed Walker's, Chen Jing, a Shanghai Communist Party official who is also the president of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, countered Walker's view. "I believe the consul general's view is prejudiced, ungrounded and not aligning with the phone call of our heads of states last night," he said. The interaction reflects the continued strained relationship between both countries as the trade war continues to simmer. US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke over a long anticipated call on Thursday, confronting weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals. Trump later said they agreed to further talks. It came in the middle of a dispute between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war between the two biggest economies. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration but the deal has not addressed broader concerns that strain the relationship and Trump has accused China of violating the agreement. Eric Zheng, president of AmCham Shanghai which counts over 1,000 companies among its membership, told reporters on the sidelines of the event that many companies had put their decision-making on pause due to the uncertainty. "People are looking for some more definitive, durable statements on both sides that enable businesses to feel more secure," he said.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
China seeks improved ties with Canada amid rising trade tensions
BEIJING: China called on Friday for steps to improve bilateral ties with Canada, saying there were no deepseated conflicts of interest, following a spike in trade tensions with many of Beijing's Western trade partners this year. China is willing to work with Canada to put ties on a healthy and stable path and find solutions to address each other's concerns through enhanced dialogue, Premier Li Qiang told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a phone call on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. 'There is no fundamental conflict of interests between the two countries,' Li said. Li's talks with Carney followed a highly-anticipated phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, which Trump said led to 'a very positive conclusion' and offered hope the trade war between the world's two largest economies might start to de-escalate. As the effects of trade frictions start to make their way into the already soft Chinese economy, Beijing has stepped up engagement with other countries to alleviate friction despite earlier retaliation. In March, Beijing announced tariffs on over $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products in retaliation for Ottawa's levies on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminium products introduced in October. Beijing has also launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola that is set to conclude in September. Canola, also known as rapeseed, was one of Canada's top exports to China, the world's No. 1 agricultural importer, prior to Beijing's investigation. 'The two governments should listen to and respond to the people's calls and do more to deepen the friendly cooperation and enhance mutual understanding and trust,' Li told Carney. China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, trailing far behind the United States. Canada exported $47 billion worth of goods to the world's second-largest economy in 2024, according to Chinese customs data. Beijing is also willing to work with Canada to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, Li added. Beijing's olive branch to Ottawa also comes ahead of a Group of Seven summit of leaders in Canada in mid-June. At the G7 summit in Italy last year, G7 leaders were critical of China, saying they would take steps to shield their economies from China's 'unfair' practices.
