Unity Govt not threatened by 14 BN + 14 PH strategy in Melaka PRN
KOTA BHARU: The proposal of 14 Barisan Nasional (BN) + 14 Pakatan Harapan (PH) strategy in the upcoming Melaka state election (PRN) will not threaten the Unity Government, said Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH) communications director Khalid Abdul Samad.
However, he said the strategy has not yet been finalised and a decision would only be made after all component parties held discussions and negotiations.
'In this Unity Government, we will often hear such calls, which is just normal but in the end we will sit down and discuss and negotiate together if there is any need for that.
'Although we are facing the Melaka PRN separately, the seat negotiations will be done for the entire country, even though other areas have not yet to hold elections, but when we negotiate, it will involve the entire country,' he said.
He told reporters after the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (KADA) chairman's morning assembly with staff at KADA headquarters, here today.
Earlier, the media reported that various parties rejected the DAP proposal which appeared a Chinese-language newspaper report titled '9 DAP Melaka Branches approve the resolution of a 14 BN + 14 PH strategy' in the upcoming Melaka PRN.
Yesterday, UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that his party is maintaining the basic principle agreed upon by BN and PH to defend the seats won respectively in the last Melaka PRN.
Melaka has 28 state seats, involving 21 controlled by BN, PH (five) and Perikatan Nasional (two). For the record, the term of the Melaka legislative assembly is scheduled to end in November next year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Huawei founder Ren remains optimistic despite US curbs
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei. — Bloomberg BEIJING: The United States' restrictive policies against China are ironically catalysing China's technological advancements, say industry insiders, referring to the chip breakthroughs achieved by Huawei Technologies and the recent remarks of its founder Ren Zhengfei, who downplayed the impact of US export controls. In an interview with People's Daily that was published on Tuesday on the front page of the newspaper, Ren said that Huawei has no need to worry about chip challenges. In the face of external blockades and suppression, 'there is no need to think too much about difficulties; just take action and move forward step by step', he said. Ren outlined his company's pragmatic strategy for overcoming US technology restrictions, emphasising investment in and relentless execution of theoretical research. Addressing Washington's warnings about using Huawei's Ascend AI chips, he said: 'Many Chinese chip firms perform well. Huawei is just one of them. The United States overstates our achievements – we're still one generation behind in single-chip performance.' Ren made the remarks after Jensen Huang, CEO of US semiconductor company Nvidia, told Bloomberg in a recent interview that Huawei's AI chip technology, including the CloudMatrix cluster and Ascend 910C chip, now competes with Nvidia's high-end offerings such as Grace Blackwell and H200. Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Zhongguancun modern information consumer application industry technology alliance, a telecom industry association, said Huawei's achievements have demonstrated how the US restrictions are accelerating China's progress in chip technology. 'China's semiconductor industry, tempered by years of US sanctions, now boasts stronger prowess,' Xiang said. According to Huawei's founder Ren, the software-related challenges that China faces are manageable. 'Software is built on mathematical symbols, codes and layers of cutting-edge algorithms. There are no shackles here,' he said. 'The real challenge lies in our education system and talent development. In the future, China will have hundreds, or even thousands, of operating systems supporting its progress across industry, agriculture, healthcare and beyond,' he added. — China Daily/ANN
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
The US, China are talking again. Don't call it a reset
TRADE negotiations between the United States and China in London mark a cautious step toward easing tensions, but not a new beginning. It's a short-term strategy to avoid further deterioration – a fragile truce that could be reversed at any moment. At the core is a deeper issue: National security. Both sides now view trade through that lens, and handshakes won't fix it. Washington must recognise that Beijing seeks respect and won't accept a one-sided, long-term deal. China, for its part, needs to understand that it won't be business as usual – and that the United States will expect more concessions and market access to the world's second-largest economy. The alternative is continued hostility, which will make for a more chaotic global trade environment, and a more dangerous world. The London climbdown is positive, but precarious. Rapprochement has turned into recrimination before. After the initial euphoria of a trade-war ceasefire agreed in Geneva in May, both sides accused the other of reneging on a deal to temporarily lower tariffs that had climbed well above 100%. Now negotiators say they've reached an agreement in principle on a framework to de-escalate trade tensions, based on the consensus forged in Geneva. Delegations from both sides will take the proposal back to their respective leaders, following nearly 20 hours of talks over two days. 'Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it,' US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. The full details of the accord weren't immediately available, but US officials said they 'absolutely expect' that issues around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets will be resolved. There are no winners or losers coming out of this, notes Steve Okun, founder and chief executive officer of AC Advisors. The fundamental questions are much larger than any round of talks. 'The Trump administration needs to decide whether it views Beijing as a strategic competitor, or an existential threat,' he told me. 'Washington can take the economic hit from a trade war, but politically, Xi Jinping can suffer the hit for longer than Trump can. So one side has economic leverage, and the other political leverage – that's a standstill, for now.' The Chinese president is biding his time, despite a sluggish economy. In the most recent sign of how the trade war is hurting, exports rose less than expected last month. The worst drop in US-bound shipments since February 2020 – the outbreak of the pandemic – counteracted strong demand from elsewhere. Still, sales to other markets are providing much-needed support for an economy stuck in deflation and struggling with weak domestic demand. There is a pathway to peaceful coexistence, but compromises are required, notes Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution. To break through with Xi, Trump will need to acknowledge that both countries are major powers. Neither can dictate terms to the other. Both would be hurt by high tariffs on each other's goods – but on their own, they're not enough to force capitulation. The United States public has no appetite for a broader conflict with Beijing and the top priority is still to avoid war. Americans are clear in their desire to manage competition without that escalating into open conflict. For that to happen, Washington must recognise that Beijing craves respect. The United States would be wise to pay heed to the Chinese concept of mianzi or 'face' – Xi will only agree to a long-term deal that he can pitch at home and abroad as a win. Beijing has taken lessons from Trump's first trade war, and judged that agreement to be one-sided in favour of Washington. It won't make that mistake again. China doesn't always like reciprocating face, but officials would be wise to give some to Trump, too. His tariffs have been outlandish, but his supporters also demand that he show strength, not concession. Beijing should be able to understand what happens when politicians need to cater to public pressure. Neither side has the upper hand to make the other come away an obvious loser. At the most, the London talks might have achieved just enough to help shape the future on a less-hostile basis. That in itself is progress – but it would be a mistake to call this moment a reset. — Bloomberg Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Trump says China will supply rare earths in ‘done' trade deal
President Donald Trump says the US is 'getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%' in a social media post. - Photo: Reuters WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said a trade framework with China has been completed, with Beijing supplying rare earths and magnets 'UP FRONT' and the US allowing Chinese students into its colleges and universities. The United States and China will maintain tariffs at their current, lower levels following negotiations between the two nations this week in London, Trump said on Wednesday (June 11). He said the deal is subject to final approval by him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME,' Trump posted on social media. 'WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT!' A White House official said the agreement allows the US to charge a 55 per cent tariff on imported Chinese goods. This includes a 10 per cent baseline 'reciprocal' tariff, a 20 per cent tariff for fentanyl trafficking and a 25 per cent tariff reflecting pre-existing tariffs. China would charge a 10 per cent tariff on US imports, the official said. In a later post, Trump said Xi and he 'are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!' His post suggested China may have to restart rare earth shipments before the US agrees to lower export controls on key technology. And his comments left doubt about whether Beijing could negotiate tariff rates even lower. 'FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!),' Trump said. US and Chinese officials said on June 10 they agreed on a framework to get their trade truce back on track and remove China's export restrictions on rare earths while offering little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade tensions. At the end of two days of intense negotiations in London, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the framework deal puts 'meat on the bones' of an agreement reached in May in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs that reached crushing triple-digit levels The Geneva deal faltered over China's curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls of its own preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft and other goods to China. Trump's shifting tariff policies have roiled global markets, sparked congestion and confusion in major ports and cost companies tens of billions of dollars in lost sales and higher costs. - Reuters, Bloomberg
