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Volkswagen says 20,000 workers agree to early exits

Volkswagen says 20,000 workers agree to early exits

Business Times2 days ago

[BERLIN] Volkswagen said about 20,000 employees will voluntarily leave the company by the end of the decade as the carmaker restructures its German operations to cope with uneven demand for its vehicles.
Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen's head of human relations and board member, told employees on Tuesday (Jun 3) at a workers assembly in Wolfsburg that the company's restructuring plans are on track.
'With measurable progress on factory costs in Wolfsburg and socially responsible job cuts at Volkswagen's six German sites alone, we are accelerating our transformation,' Kilian said. 'Around 20,000 departures from the company by 2030 have already been contractually agreed.'
The total represents more than half of the 35,000 headcount reduction target, which the company aims to do without compulsory layoffs. BLOOMBERG

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Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks
Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks

Straits Times

time34 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo WASHINGTON/BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and NATO in his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, but was not expecting major breakthroughs. Merz, a conservative who took office last month, was scheduled to join Trump for a meeting in the Oval Office and a White House lunch that analysts say could set the tone for U.S.-German ties for years to come. "I look forward to the talks although I do not expect us to make major breakthroughs on these three topics," Merz told reporters ahead of the meeting, his first with Trump as chancellor of Germany, Europe's largest economy. Trade will be a key topic along with ending the Ukraine war, Merz said. Germany is the second largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. While Trump has threatened tariffs to slash Germany's substantial trade surplus, Merz said he would counter that his country is also the third biggest direct investor in the United States. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the U.S. and many European countries. Trump's administration has, for example, intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. The Merz-Trump encounter will be closely watched after some dramatic Oval Office meetings in recent months in which the U.S. leader scolded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and made false assertions. Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter. The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Trump's threats that the U.S. will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War Two. Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Trump, analysts said. He has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The fact Merz was invited to stay in the Blair House guest quarters across from the White House is a positive signal, said analysts. TO ARGUE OR NOT WITH TRUMP Merz and Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. Merz has described himself as "a convinced transatlanticist", chairing the "Atlantic Bridge", a non-profit fostering U.S.-German ties, for 10 years. "They might discover a kindred spirit," Sokol said. However, analysts noted huge frictions in the U.S.-German relationship. "The challenge that he could face is ... if Trump says something is erroneous, do you correct him? Do you risk turning it into an argument?" said Jeffrey Rathke, a former U.S. diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. Merz was publicly critical of Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election. On the eve of his own party's election victory in February, Merz criticised the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Trump, Xi spoke by phone as trade and tech disputes strain ties
Trump, Xi spoke by phone as trade and tech disputes strain ties

Business Times

time2 hours ago

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Trump, Xi spoke by phone as trade and tech disputes strain ties

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday (Jun 5), according to China's Foreign Ministry, as trade tensions roil relations between the world's two largest economies. Relations between the two rivals have soured in recent weeks, with both sides accusing the other of violating a trade truce that brought down tariffs from massive highs. With the fresh conflict threatening the fragile détente, market analysts were hopeful the conversation would pave the way to a trade off-ramp. Stocks rose on news of the call, with the S&P 500 extending gains into a fourth straight day. The phone call between the leaders marks their first known formal contact since Trump took office. The last conversation between Trump and Xi took place in January before the US president's inauguration. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the call was initiated at Trump's request. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rare earths have emerged in recent days as a key flashpoint. The US has accused China of reneging on a promise to relax export controls on such metals needed for cutting-edge electronics. Beijing has been frustrated by fresh US restrictions on the sale of chip design software and plans to start revoking visas for Chinese students. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Trump has long said direct talks with Xi were the only way to resolve differences between the nations, but the Chinese leader had thus far been reluctant to get on the phone with his American counterpart – preferring that advisers negotiate key issues. Export controls and US actions on student visas and technology curbs will likely be central to future negotiations. US and Chinese trade chiefs only agreed in Geneva last month to lower tariffs for 90 days, as they worked towards a broader deal. History suggests that any final deal could be a long time coming. In 2018 during Trump's first term as president, the two sides agreed to put their dispute 'on hold' after a round of negotiations, but the US soon backed away from that deal, leading to more than 18 months of further tariffs and talks before the signing of the 'Phase One' deal in January 2020. One goal for China this time around will be seeking relief from US export controls on cutting-edge chips vital for AI and military advancement. That's likely to be a sticking point in Washington, with both Democrats and Republicans in rare agreement that Beijing poses a national security threat. Beyond strains in economic ties, geopolitical frictions are also growing. Foreign Ministry officials this month protested US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's assertion at a gathering of military chiefs in Singapore that China poses an imminent threat to Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. BLOOMBERG

Germany's Merz to brave Trump's oval office test
Germany's Merz to brave Trump's oval office test

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Germany's Merz to brave Trump's oval office test

WASHINGTON - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets Mr Donald Trump in the Oval Office on June 5 , hoping to avoid one of the US president's infamous ambushes amid discord over Ukraine and tariffs. A month into his job, the conservative Mr Merz, 69, will try to build a rapport with the mercurial Mr Trump as he seeks to maintain good ties with the country he considers post-war Germany's 'indispensable' ally. He will offer pledges to sharply increase Germany's Nato spending and look for common ground on confronting Mr Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. On Mr Trump's threat to hammer the European Union with sharply higher tariffs, Mr Merz, leader of the bloc's biggest economy, has argued that it must be self-confident in its negotiations with Washington. But first Mr Merz must brave the televised rite of passage of an Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump – whose administration has taken an aggressive stance towards Germany and even backed the far-right there. Mr Trump, 78, has delivered a series of public dressing downs to foreign leaders in the heart of the White House, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa. The New York Times reported that Mr Trump was set to confront Mr Merz over free speech issues in Germany – a bugbear the administration has repeatedly brought up with European leaders despite its own record. Calmness and joy Mr Merz told reporters in Washington ahead of the meeting that if Mr Trump brings up German domestic politics, he will 'state my opinion very clearly if necessary'. Despite the tensions, Mr Merz said he was 'looking forward' to his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump. 'Our alliance with America was, is, and remains of paramount importance for the security, freedom, and prosperity of Europe,' he posted on X. The German chancellor is believed to have studied videos of previous Oval Office ambushes and learned how to stay calm and let Mr Trump talk. Mr Merz is approaching his Mr Trump meeting 'with great calmness and joy', his spokesman Stefan Kornelius said, pointing to their 'very good relationship' so far. The two leaders – both with business backgrounds and keen golf players – are on first-name terms after several phone calls, Mr Kornelius said, and Mr Merz now has Mr Trump's cellphone number on speed dial. But whatever the personal chemistry, the issues are potentially explosive. Mr Trump has lashed out at Germany, and particularly its car industry, among the European nations he accuses of trying to 'screw' the United States. The US president launched his 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April and the EU faces levies of 50 per cent. Far-right support On the Ukraine war, where Germany strongly backs Kyiv, Mr Merz will hope to convince Mr Trump to heighten pressure on Mr Putin through new sanctions to persuade him to agree to a ceasefire. Mr Trump has expressed frustration with Mr Putin, but said sanctions could harm the chances of a truce. Mr Merz's visit also comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15 to 17 and a Nato meeting in The Hague at the end of the month. Mr Merz has said Germany is willing to follow a plan to raise defense spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP over coming years, with another 1.5 per cent dedicated to security-related infrastructure. But a major potential flashpoint is the vocal support Mr Trump and some in his administration have given to the far-right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which came second in February elections. US Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Trump adviser Elon Musk have all weighed in in support of the AfD, which in Germany is shunned by all other political parties. When Germany's domestic intelligence service recently designated the AfD a 'right-wing extremist' group, Mr Rubio denounced the step as 'tyranny in disguise'. Mr Merz at the time told the US government to 'largely stay out of' German domestic politics. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

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