What's It Like to Deal With Brutal U.S. Tariffs? Ask Malaysia.
President Trump wants to stop that trade. On Friday he unveiled a new layer of tariffs — set at a global rate of 40 percent — on all goods that move through a third country before they get to the United States. The tariffs are aimed at stopping transshipment, a practice the administration says has allowed Chinese-made goods to skirt punitive tariffs.
The policy landed with a thunderbolt in Southeast Asia, where Chinese investment has helped the economies of poorer neighbors grow more quickly. A crackdown on transshipment will be an economic blow. It also complicates the supply chain in Southeast Asia, which depends heavily on Chinese raw materials and components. From Vietnam to Cambodia to Indonesia, officials and executives are rushing to assess the consequences.
The new tariffs raise hard questions for countries that have long used Chinese components to make the final products they ship to the United States. Does the Trump administration, which has yet to detail how it would enforce the new transshipment tariffs, want to tax it all?
One country offers a case study others could follow for what to do next: Malaysia.
Over the last decade, Malaysia rose to become one of the world's biggest makers of solar panels. Ten companies, most of them Chinese, shoveled $15 billion into factories around the country, creating tens of thousands of jobs. Then, under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the United States put tariffs on solar equipment coming from Malaysia of as much as 250 percent. Today, just two solar panel makers remain and one of them has ceased much of its production.
The upheaval has been a wake-up call for Malaysia, a nation of over 35 million people that is rethinking how to power its future economic growth.
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Brutal truth for Elon Musk, Oz Lotto winner 'always thought' he'd land jackpot, China tells Australia it 'never interferes'
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The fast boat was carrying 75 passengers – including at least five Australians – and five crew members when it got caught in a large surf off Sanur in southeast Bali at about 5pm (AEST) Tuesday. The boat, named Fast Boat Dolphin II, had crossed from Nusa Penida and was about 100m from its destination port in Sanur when the boat flipped. The passengers were thrown into the water, with locals scrambling to pull them out of the ocean. Horrifying footage showed the distressed passengers loaded into inflatable rescue boats and scrambling to leave the water, with one woman carried to the shore seemingly unconscious. Head of the Denpasar Search and Rescue team I Nyoman Sidakarya confirmed two Chinese nationals had died in the incident, and one crew member was still missing. The incident has once again put Indonesia's vast water transport system under the spotlight again. In 2023, one expert revealed to Yahoo why Australians often dismiss the dangers of travelling by boat in the country. 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'All parties had retired to their rooms for the evening when one of the hosts heard a commotion of some sort, and when she went to investigate, she located the 14-year-old.' - NewsWire A 13-year-old Chinese exchange student has been charged with murder over the alleged stabbing death of a 14-year-old girl at a home in Newcastle. The 14-year-old, also an exchange student from China, was found with a single wound to her torso at Euston Close, Edgeworth, about 10.20pm on Monday, after police were called to reports of a stabbing. She was treated by paramedics at the scene before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The younger girl will appear in a Children's court on Wednesday on the murder charge. Superintendent Tracy Chapman, commander of the Lake Macquarie Police District, said both girls were from China, having travelled to Australia as part of a program where they stayed with local residents who acted as hosts. They were attending a local school and visiting locations around the Hunter area. 'They arrived in Australia eight days ago and were expected to depart Australia on the 16th of August,' Supt Chapman said. 'NSW Police continue to work with the program facilitators to ensure that all of the appropriate processes and notifications are being undertaken.' The two young girls were staying with the same hosts, a man and a woman. They had their own bedrooms. 'All parties had retired to their rooms for the evening when one of the hosts heard a commotion of some sort, and when she went to investigate, she located the 14-year-old.' - NewsWire Aussie music icon dies Australian music legend Col Joye has died aged 89. Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM - better known as Col Joye - was most famous for his role as the frontman of Col Joye and the Joy Boys, and for his 'discovery' of iconic Australian band the Bee Gees. He was the first Aussie pop star to hit number 1 on local charts with the single 'Bye Bye Baby' in 1959, which he performed with backing vocals from The Sapphires, the first all-female, all-First Nations singing group in Australian history. Joye would go on to rack up another three top 10 hits with the Joy Boys throughout the early 1960s, and went on to open ATA Studios at Glebe in inner Sydney. In 1963, Joye happened across a group of young performers from Redcliffe calling themselves the Bee Gees, who at the time were touring Queensland resorts to make ends meet. - NewsWire Australian music legend Col Joye has died aged 89. Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM - better known as Col Joye - was most famous for his role as the frontman of Col Joye and the Joy Boys, and for his 'discovery' of iconic Australian band the Bee Gees. He was the first Aussie pop star to hit number 1 on local charts with the single 'Bye Bye Baby' in 1959, which he performed with backing vocals from The Sapphires, the first all-female, all-First Nations singing group in Australian history. Joye would go on to rack up another three top 10 hits with the Joy Boys throughout the early 1960s, and went on to open ATA Studios at Glebe in inner Sydney. In 1963, Joye happened across a group of young performers from Redcliffe calling themselves the Bee Gees, who at the time were touring Queensland resorts to make ends meet. - NewsWire Kmart accused of misleading over slave labour supplies Retail giant Kmart is facing accusations it misled customers on its ethical credentials by sourcing clothing supplies from factories in China with links to slave labour. An Australian-based Uyghur group has filed a lawsuit against the outlet in the Federal Court, seeking to gain documents so they can see whether it knowingly sourced stock from suppliers who used forced labour from those in the ethnic group. In its ethical sourcing statement, Kmart said it aimed to provide products that respected human rights according to its ethical sourcing code which committed to abiding by international standards, including guidelines set out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The lawsuit filed by the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association claims Kmart included on its 2024 and 2025 factory lists two suppliers with links to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It said this region in China's west has been well-documented for "systemic state-sponsored forced labour and other atrocities against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim people". The group wants proof from Kmart that it has abided by its ethical sourcing promises regarding these suppliers and whether its public statements have been misleading or deceptive. Kmart must ensure it is not profiting off forced labour in China, association president Ramila Chanisheff said. "We're demanding answers from Kmart so we know whether its actions live up to its words about addressing forced labour risks in its supply chain," she said. Read more here. Retail giant Kmart is facing accusations it misled customers on its ethical credentials by sourcing clothing supplies from factories in China with links to slave labour. An Australian-based Uyghur group has filed a lawsuit against the outlet in the Federal Court, seeking to gain documents so they can see whether it knowingly sourced stock from suppliers who used forced labour from those in the ethnic group. In its ethical sourcing statement, Kmart said it aimed to provide products that respected human rights according to its ethical sourcing code which committed to abiding by international standards, including guidelines set out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The lawsuit filed by the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association claims Kmart included on its 2024 and 2025 factory lists two suppliers with links to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It said this region in China's west has been well-documented for "systemic state-sponsored forced labour and other atrocities against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim people". The group wants proof from Kmart that it has abided by its ethical sourcing promises regarding these suppliers and whether its public statements have been misleading or deceptive. Kmart must ensure it is not profiting off forced labour in China, association president Ramila Chanisheff said. "We're demanding answers from Kmart so we know whether its actions live up to its words about addressing forced labour risks in its supply chain," she said. Read more here. Man who won Oz Lotto jackpot 'always thought' he'd win after playing for decades Plenty of us dream of winning the lottery, but do we actually harbour genuine hope it'll happen? Well this winner did and he's now $15 million richer. The Victorian is one of two winners to share Oz Lotto's $30 million jackpot last night and he told lottery officials he's been playing the game for decades knowing that one day a big win would come. 'Honestly, I always thought I was going to win. Ever since I was in my 20s, I've thought, 'one day I'm going to win'. It's just taken a while!" he told The Lott. 'I'll help the kids and grandkids – help them to pay off their homes. 'A new car and caravan are what I want so we can do a few trips, maybe eventually do a lap around Australia.' While he says he always knew he'd win, he didn't have chosen numbers and won with a QuickPick entry. Plenty of us dream of winning the lottery, but do we actually harbour genuine hope it'll happen? Well this winner did and he's now $15 million richer. The Victorian is one of two winners to share Oz Lotto's $30 million jackpot last night and he told lottery officials he's been playing the game for decades knowing that one day a big win would come. 'Honestly, I always thought I was going to win. Ever since I was in my 20s, I've thought, 'one day I'm going to win'. It's just taken a while!" he told The Lott. 'I'll help the kids and grandkids – help them to pay off their homes. 'A new car and caravan are what I want so we can do a few trips, maybe eventually do a lap around Australia.' While he says he always knew he'd win, he didn't have chosen numbers and won with a QuickPick entry.
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Yahoo
9 minutes ago
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South Korea says timing of U.S. tariff cut on autos not decided
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Wednesday that Seoul needs to hold further discussions with Washington on the timing of the promised tariff cuts on the country's car exports to the U.S. from the current level of 25%. President Donald Trump said last week the U.S. will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea, including autos, as part of a deal that eases tensions with a top-10 trading partner and key Asian ally. The 15% U.S. tariffs on most items coming from South Korea are due to take effect starting from Thursday. South Korean auto makers such as Hyundai Motor and Kia want the tariff cut brought in swiftly to create a level playing field with Japanese and European rivals. Separately, Japan's top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said he would head to Washington this week to press Trump to sign an executive order to bring the cut to tariffs on Japanese auto imports into effect. In the technology sector, Kim said the countries had agreed to continue talks on online platform legislation to make sure U.S. tech companies were not unfairly treated compared with domestic firms. "Although the digital issue was not included in the latest agreement, there are major concerns about it among the U.S. government, parliament and businesses," he said at a parliamentary session. The minister reiterated that there had been no agreement on the opening of the agriculture market, including beef, rice, fruit and other farm goods as part of the deal. But he said the countries will increase cooperation in the quarantine process for fruit and vegetables, which has been cited by Washington as one of the non-tariff barriers that U.S. farmers face. South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said at a separate parliamentary session that the U.S. viewed the quarantine process for fruit and vegetables as too slow and asked Seoul to introduce a rational and scientific process.
