Zambia warns US visa bond will cause financial 'strain'
The measure announced Tuesday, which also applies to nationals of Malawi, takes effect on August 20 as part of a one-year pilot project aimed at reducing visa overstays in the United States, where President Donald Trump's administration is cracking down on immigration.
"The Zambian government views this development with serious concern, given its potential economic implications on trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges," foreign minister Mulambo Haimbe said in a statement.
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2 hours ago
- IOL News
South Africa unperturbed by US visa policies affecting Zimbabwe
US President Donald Trump continues to disrupt global diplomacy after a recent visa ban imposed on Zimbabwe. Image: Peter Zay / AFP The South African government appears unmoved by the recent visa ban imposed by the US embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, even as US President Donald Trump continues to disrupt global diplomacy with tariff increases and immigration policies seven months into his second term. The US has suspended all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services to Zimbabwe due to concerns about misuse and overstays. However, the issuance of other visa types remains unaffected. Although South Africa was exempt from new Trump visa restrictions on SADC countries, a new policy has been implemented for Malawi and Zambia. Citizens of these nations are now required to pay a bond of $5,000 (R88,656) to $15,000 (R265,967) to travel to the United States. Additionally, the citizens are required to use one of three airports—Boston's Logan International, New York's JFK International, or Dulles International near Washington D.C.—for both arrival and departure. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ When asked whether South African citizens should be worried, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri gave a brief response: "We do not provide commentary on other countries' visa regimes, and this is our general position, it's not specific to the US." A senior government official, however, downplayed the likelihood of South Africans being affected by the US visa restrictions. "Remember Trump is only in our case because of the International Court of Justice case against Israel and our involvement in BRICS. Nothing more and nothing less," the official said. "South Africans visiting the US are mostly professionals who either go for business or a holiday. We seldom have citizens wanting to immigrate to the should have nothing to worry about,' he said. The US embassy explained that the reasons for the restrictions was because the administration was working to prevent visa overstay and misuse as part of national security. "The Trump administration is protecting our nation and citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the embassy said. "We are always working to prevent visa overstay and misuse." In June, the US imposed travel bans on citizens from 12 countries, with seven of them located in Africa. Additionally, heightened restrictions were applied to seven other nations, three of which are African. The US has issued a demand to 36 countries, predominantly in Africa, to enhance their traveler vetting procedures. Failure to comply could result in a ban on their citizens visiting the US. International Relations analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said it was unfortunate that the US had an obsession with immigration issues. "All democratic countries must encourage international country movements. However it is incumbent upon citizens that they don't abuse regulations. But one thing to acknowledge in terms of implementation of immigration laws globally is not to interfere and dissuade inter country movements of students because knowledge sharing and education is a universal right,' Ngwenya said.
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3 hours ago
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Ukraine makes small gains in Sumy ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Ukraine has retaken two villages in its eastern region of Sumy, Kyiv's military said, adding to recent small territorial gains along the border with Russia before peace talks at a summit of the US and Russian leaders set for Friday. US President Donald Trump said on Monday Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede land to end the war in Ukraine and this week's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin will show whether the Kremlin leader is willing to make a deal. Ukraine's forces have liberated the settlements of Stepne and Novokostiantynivka along the front line in Sumy, the general staff said in a Tuesday night report. 'It's tough, but we are holding back the enemy,' Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on Facebook after a meeting on Tuesday with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's top brass. 'In the Sumy direction, we are conducting active operations and have some success advancing forward, liberating Ukrainian land.'
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3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Chinese warehouse workers welcome Trump's extended tariff truce
Employees in China's export hubs are cautiously optimistic as US President Donald Trump prolongs a fragile truce on tariffs with Beijing. Labourer Shuai Hang went a week without work earlier this year when sky-high US tariffs on Chinese goods overwhelmed the warehouse he works at and slowed the company's US-bound parcels to a trickle. But on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump announced a truce on those duties would be extended, the depot in southern China's manufacturing hub Guangzhou was alive with noise as workers stuffed trucks with packages of clothes and kitchenware. Many are destined for the doorsteps of US customers of Chinese-founded online shopping giant Temu. Tariffs hit workers' wages and job stability 'Tariffs impact our daily lives,' said 31-year-old Shuai, whose monthly pay of more than 10,000 yuan ($1,400) had dropped by a third previously. 'If tariffs are slightly lower, then there are more outgoing shipments, and then we have higher wages,' he said. Trump's tariff policies since taking office have upended global trade and set off a blistering tit-for-tat with Beijing — but in May the two major economies agreed to a fragile truce, with each temporarily lowering levies on the other's goods. That agreement was extended to November by Trump on Monday, hours before it expired. Deliveries plunge during peak tariff periods At the height of the tariffs, said Shuai, who has been loading parcels for Guangzhou-based logistics company Weijiang International for a year, 'there was not a single truck' for him to fill, so he couldn't work. ALSO READ: US tariffs: Here's why talks over trade deal have been 'complex' Overall deliveries dropped by about 20 percent in May, according to Weijiang's founder Xiong Wei, with the US market making up around a quarter of their cross-border business. But business has recovered since July, he said. Xiong said he hadn't lost sleep over the looming expiration of the 90-day tariff truce this week, as he had expected it would be renewed. 'We might have been worried in May, but now we are indifferent,' said Xiong. 'We are used to it'. 'Cards reshuffled' These days the warehouse is sending out 100 tonnes of packages every 24 hours, with up to 70 trucks making trips. On Tuesday industrial fans whirred as sweat-slicked workers methodically scanned yellow, black and sage green bundles into lorries. Xiong's company has recently invested in its own warehouse in Chicago. ALSO READ: Lesufi says US tariffs due to SA's Palestine stance, backs China to prop up Gauteng In many ways the uncertainty provided opportunity for smaller logistics companies like theirs, said manager Chen Weiyan, as they have taken the chance to expand their market. 'The cards have been reshuffled,' he said. Temu link boosts cross-border flows Around 30 percent of the parcels moved by Weijiang International end up in a different warehouse, this one owned by Temu-parent PDD, where they are unloaded, repacked and readied for a flight across the ocean. While the truce is welcome, Shuai, who packs three to four tonnes in a truck daily, said he still pays close attention to tariff news. 'For those of us who have travelled over 1,000 kilometres to work here, we definitely don't want frequent breaks. We all want to earn more money,' said the native of neighbouring Guizhou province. 'Folks in America need our goods' Working at the warehouse was less tiring than labouring at a construction site, and earning money had become more difficult in the past two years, he said. Chen, the manager, was bullish. 'We will not give up this market,' he said. 'Folks in America need our goods'. NOW READ: SA and China can 'do much to cooperate in film making'
