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Trump says China has 'totally violated' agreement with US on tariffs

Trump says China has 'totally violated' agreement with US on tariffs

Straits Timesa day ago

The earlier US-China agreement to dial back triple-digit tariffs for 90 days had prompted a massive relief rally in global stocks. PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump says China has 'totally violated' agreement with US on tariffs
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on May 30 said China had violated an agreement on tariffs with the United States.
'China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr NICE GUY!,' Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
US trade talks with China were 'a bit stalled' and getting a deal over the finish line will likely need the direct involvement of President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on My 29.
Two weeks after breakthrough negotiations that resulted in a temporary truce in the trade war between the world's two biggest economies, Mr Bessent said progress since then has been slow, but said he expects more talks in the next few weeks.
The US-China agreement to dial back triple-digit tariffs for 90 days prompted a massive relief rally in global stocks.
But it did nothing to address the underlying reasons for Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods, mainly longstanding US complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model, leaving those issues for future talks. REUTERS
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Hamas seeks changes in U.S. Gaza proposal; Witkoff calls response 'unacceptable'
Hamas seeks changes in U.S. Gaza proposal; Witkoff calls response 'unacceptable'

Straits Times

time29 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Hamas seeks changes in U.S. Gaza proposal; Witkoff calls response 'unacceptable'

Supplies wait to be loaded on trucks to go into the Gaza Strip, at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, on its Israeli side, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Shafiek Tassiem Supplies wait to be loaded on trucks to go into the Gaza Strip, at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, on its Israeli side, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Shafiek Tassiem Supplies wait to be loaded on trucks to go into the Gaza Strip, at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, on its Israeli side, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Shafiek Tassiem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed Palestinians walk with aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed CAIRO/JERUSALEM - Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, but President Donald Trump's envoy rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable." The Palestinian militant group said it was willing to release 10 living hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 dead in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. But Hamas reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected. A Hamas official described the group's response to the proposals from Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as "positive" but said it was seeking some amendments. The official did not elaborate on the changes being sought by the group. "This response aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the Strip," Hamas said in a statement. The proposals would see a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. A Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters that among amendments Hamas is seeking is the release of the hostages in three phases over the 60-day truce and more aid distribution in different areas. Hamas also wants guarantees the deal will lead to a permanent ceasefire, the official said. There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to the Hamas statement. Israel has previously rejected Hamas' conditions, instead demanding the complete disarmament of the group and its dismantling as a military and governing force, along with the return of all 58 remaining hostages. Trump said on Friday he believed a ceasefire agreement was close after the latest proposals, and the White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the terms. Saying he had received Hamas' response, Witkoff wrote in a posting on X: "It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week." On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had killed Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief on May 13, confirming what Netanyahu said earlier this week. Sinwar, the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the group's deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel, was the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death. The Israeli military, which relaunched its air and ground campaign in March following a two-month truce, said on Saturday it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. The campaign has cleared large areas along the boundaries of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis. Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering the enclave at the beginning of March in an effort to weaken Hamas and has found itself under increasing pressure from an international community shocked by the desperate humanitarian situation the blockade has created. On Saturday, aid groups said dozens of World Food Programme trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people desperate for food after weeks of mounting hunger. "After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," the WFP said in a statement. 'A MOCKERY' The incident was the latest in a series that has underscored the shaky security situation hampering the delivery of aid into Gaza, following the easing of a weeks-long Israeli blockade earlier this month. The United Nations said on Friday the situation in Gaza is the worst since the start of the war 19 months ago, with the entire population facing the risk of famine despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries earlier this month. "The aid that's being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch," Philippe Lazzarini, head of the main U.N. relief organization for Palestinians, said in a message on X. Israel has been allowing a limited number of trucks from the World Food Programme and other international groups to bring flour to bakeries in Gaza but deliveries have been hampered by repeated incidents of looting. A separate system, run by a U.S.-backed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been delivering meals and food packages at three designated distribution sites. However, aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, which they say is not neutral, and say the amount of aid allowed in falls far short of the needs of a population at risk of famine. Amjad Al-Shawa, head of an umbrella group representing Palestinian aid groups, said the dire situation was being exploited by armed groups which were attacking some of the aid convoys. He said hundreds more trucks were needed and accused Israel of a "systematic policy of starvation". Israel denies operating a policy of starvation and says it is facilitating aid deliveries, pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centres and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza. Instead it accuses Hamas of stealing supplies intended for civilians and using them to entrench its hold on Gaza, which it had been running since 2007. Hamas denies looting supplies and has executed a number of suspected looters. Israel began its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza. The campaign has laid waste large areas of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying or damaging most of its buildings, leaving most of the population in makeshift shelters. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Damning IAEA report spells out past secret nuclear activities in Iran
Damning IAEA report spells out past secret nuclear activities in Iran

CNA

time35 minutes ago

  • CNA

Damning IAEA report spells out past secret nuclear activities in Iran

VIENNA: Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the UN nuclear watchdog at three locations that have long been under investigation, the watchdog said in a wide-ranging, confidential report to member states seen by Reuters. The findings in the "comprehensive" International Atomic Energy Agency report requested by the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in November pave the way for a push by the United States, Britain, France and Germany for the board to declare Iran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations. A resolution would infuriate Iran and could further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Using the IAEA report's findings, the four Western powers plan to submit a draft resolution for the board to adopt at its next meeting the week of Jun 9, diplomats say. It would be the first time in almost 20 years Iran has formally been found in non-compliance. Iran's foreign ministry and the Iranian nuclear agency rejected the report, calling it "politically motivated" in a joint statement. They said Tehran will take "appropriate measures" in response to any effort to take action against the country at the Board of Governors meeting, state media reported, without elaborating. Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. While many of the findings relate to activities dating back decades and have been made before, the IAEA report's conclusions were more definitive. It summarised developments in recent years and pointed more clearly towards coordinated, secret activities, some of which were relevant to producing nuclear weapons. It also spelled out that Iran's cooperation with IAEA continues to be "less than satisfactory" in "a number of respects". The IAEA is still seeking explanations for uranium traces found years ago at two of four sites it has been investigating. Three hosted secret experiments, it found. The IAEA has concluded that "these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear programme carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material", the report said. Nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment from that programme was stored at the fourth site, Turquzabad, between 2009 and 2018, it said. "The Agency concludes that Iran did not declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran, specifically, Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad," the report said. At Lavisan-Shian in Tehran, a disc made of uranium metal was "used in the production of explosively-driven neutron sources" at least twice in 2003, a process designed to initiate the explosion in a nuclear weapon, the report said, adding that it was part of "small-scale" tests. The report is likely to lead to Iran being referred to the UN Security Council, though that would probably happen at a later IAEA board meeting, diplomats said. More immediately, it is likely to lead to Iran again accelerating or expanding its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, as it has done after previous rebukes at the board. It could also further complicate talks with the United States aimed at reining in that programme. URANIUM ENRICHMENT A separate IAEA report sent to member states on Saturday (May 31) said Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent of weapons grade, had grown by roughly half to 408.6 kg. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Both IAEA reports said enrichment to such a high level was "of serious concern" since it is the only country to do so without producing nuclear weapons. Israel, which has long urged strong action against Iran's nuclear programme, said the IAEA report showed Tehran was determined to complete its nuclear weapons programme. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the world should act now to stop Iran from doing this. US intelligence agencies and the IAEA have long believed Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one. Separately on Saturday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his Omani counterpart presented elements of a US proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington during a short visit to Tehran. Araqchi said in a post on X that Iran "will respond to the US proposal in line with the principles, national interests and rights of people of Iran". His statement came ahead of an anticipated sixth round of talks between Washington and Tehran. The date and venue of talks have not yet been announced.

China says US ‘should not play with fire' on Taiwan, slams Hegseth speech
China says US ‘should not play with fire' on Taiwan, slams Hegseth speech

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

China says US ‘should not play with fire' on Taiwan, slams Hegseth speech

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking at this year's Shangri-la Dialogue on May 31. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM China says US 'should not play with fire' on Taiwan, slams Hegseth speech BEIJING - China on June 1 warned the United States it 'should not play with fire' over Taiwan and said it had lodged 'representations' with Washington over comments made by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a summit in Singapore. The US Secretary of Defence used his speech at an annual security forum on May 31 to warn that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia. He added that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and 'rehearsing for the real deal'. In a statement released just after midnight, China's foreign ministry said it had 'lodged solemn representations with the US side' over Mr Hegseth's comments, adding that it 'strongly deplores' his remarks. 'The US should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to contain China and should not play with fire,' it said. Beijing, which did not send its defence minister, Admiral Dong Jun, to the Singapore summit, called the 'Taiwan issue' China's 'internal affair' and said foreign countries had no right to interfere. China considers the self-ruled democratic island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of it. Mr Hegseth also accused Beijing of 'illegally seizing and militarising lands' in the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit. The foreign ministry on June 1 claimed there had 'never been any issue' with navigation in the waterway. China 'is committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with the law', a ministry spokesperson said. Beijing also accused the US of turning the Indo-Pacific region into a 'powder keg' by deploying weapons in the South China Sea. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

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