India says truce reached with Pakistan after talks between military officials
Overnight, explosions were heard in India-administered Kashmir. New Delhi says it has given instructions to deal strongly with ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the international border with Pakistan. US President Donald Trump earlier said the US brokered the ceasefire, while New Delhi said both sides agreed to pause fighting following a direct conversation between military operations chiefs. Neha Poonia reports.
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US business group says Washington should treat Taiwan like partner not adversary
FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed miniature model depicting U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese flag and fragment of Taiwanese flag in this illustration taken, April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo US business group says Washington should treat Taiwan like partner not adversary TAIPEI - The United States should treat Taiwan like a partner and not an adversary, remove new and proposed tariffs, restore high-level cabinet visits and agree a double taxation deal, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan said on Tuesday. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, enjoyed strong support from U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration, which regularized arms sales that President Joe Biden continued. But Trump, as part of his sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, in April said he would put a 32% tariff on Taiwan, before pausing them for 90 days. Taiwan and the United States are still in talks to resolve the issue. AmCham Taiwan President Carl Wegner, releasing the group's 2025 White Paper, said he would be leading a delegation to Washington later this month to have "door knock" talks with officials on concerns about the tariffs and how to boost Taiwan-U.S. business ties. "Taiwan is a reliable friend of the United States, an essential democratic partner in the Indo Pacific, a major investor in American industry and a critical contributor to supply chain resilience," he told reporters in Taipei. Trade measures that were initially designed to address unfair practices by strategic competitors like China are now being targeted at friends like Taiwan, Wegner said. "It is in America's interests to ensure Taiwan is treated like a partner, not like an adversary." The White Paper said an agreement to avoid double taxation, currently stalled in the U.S. Senate, should urgently be resolved to remove investment barriers, while high-level visits by U.S. cabinet members should resume. Neither Taiwan nor the United States have provided substantive public updates on the tariff talks. The U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment sent outside of Washington office hours. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
3 hours ago
- Business Times
Asia: Markets extend gains as China-US talks head into second day
[HONG KONG] Asian stocks squeezed out more gains on Tuesday as the latest round of China-US trade talks moved into a second day, with one of Donald Trump's top advisers saying he expected 'a big, strong handshake'. There is optimism the negotiations - which come after the US president spoke to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week - will bring some much-needed calm to markets and ease tensions between the economic superpowers. The advances in Asian equities built on Monday's rally and followed a broadly positive day on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 edged closer to the record high touched earlier in the year. This week's meeting in London will look to smooth relations after Trump accused Beijing of violating an agreement made at a meeting of top officials last month in Geneva that ended with the two sides slashing tit-for-tat tariffs. The key issues on the agenda at the talks are expected to be exports of rare earth minerals used in a wide range of things including smartphones and electric vehicle batteries. 'In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy,' Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, told CNBC on Monday. 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 But even though Beijing was releasing some supplies, 'it was going a lot slower than some companies believed was optimal', he added. Still, he said he expected 'a big, strong handshake' at the end of the talks. 'Our expectation is that after the handshake, any export controls from the US will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume,' Hassett added. He also said the Trump administration might be willing to ease some recent curbs on tech exports. The president told reporters at the White House: 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy. 'I'm only getting good reports.' Tokyo led gains in Asian markets, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington and Jakarta also well up. 'The bulls will layer into risk on any rhetoric that publicly keeps the two sides at the table,' said Pepperstone's Chris Weston. 'And with the meeting spilling over to a second day, the idea of some sort of loose agreement is enough to underpin the grind higher in US equity and risk exposures more broadly.' Investors are also awaiting key US inflation data this week, which could impact the Federal Reserve's monetary policy amid warnings Trump's tariffs will refuel inflation strengthening the argument to keep interest rates on hold. However, it also faces pressure from the president to cut rates, with bank officials due to make a decision at their meeting next week. While recent jobs data has eased concerns about the US economy, analysts remain cautious. 'Tariffs are likely to remain a feature of US trade policy under President Trump,' said Matthias Scheiber and John Hockers at Allspring Global Investments. 'A strong US consumer base was helping buoy the global economy and avoid a global recession.' However, they also warned: 'The current global trade war coupled with big spending cuts by the US government and possibly higher US inflation could derail US consumer spending to the point that the global economy contracts for multiple quarters.' AFP
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump flexes strongman instincts over Los Angeles protests
Mr Trump has talked for years about using the military against protests. PHOTO: EPA-EFE WASHINGTON - Mr Donald Trump likes to show off his strongman credentials at cage fights and military parades – and over the weekend, the US president did it by sending troops into Los Angeles. The move once again showed Mr Trump pushing presidential power to its limits, at the start of a second term that has begun with what critics say is a distinctly authoritarian edge. Mr Trump deployed the National Guard after clashes sparked by immigration raids, marking the first time since 1965 that a president has done so without a request by a state governor. His administration said on June 9 it was also sending 700 active-duty Marines to America's second-largest city. The Republican has warned that troops could be sent 'everywhere' – sparking fears that he will send the military out into the streets across America to crack down on protests and dissent. 'It's a slippery slope,' Dr William Banks, a law professor at Syracuse University, told AFP. 'If the president tries to do more, he's cutting against the grain in the United States of a long history of leaving law enforcement to civilians.' The protests in Los Angeles are in many ways the showdown that Mr Trump has been waiting for. Mr Trump has been spoiling for a fight against California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, and he is now doing so on his signature issue of immigration. Mr Newsom has bitterly accused the 'dictatorial' president of manufacturing the crisis for political gain – while Mr Trump suggested the governor, a potential 2028 presidential contender, could be arrested. Democratic California senator Alex Padilla slammed what he called 'the behavior of an authoritarian government.' Rights groups have also opposed it. Ms Hina Shamsi of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement that Mr Trump's response was 'unnecessary, inflammatory, and an abuse of power.' 'Civil war' Mr Trump said on June 9 that he does not 'want a civil war' – but the situation is a golden opportunity to appear tough to his base. Indeed, Mr Trump has long cultivated a strongman image and has previously expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. This weekend, Mr Trump will spend his 79th birthday watching tanks rumble through Washington at a parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the US army. And the order to send the National Guard into Los Angeles came shortly before Mr Trump attended a UFC fight in New Jersey – a sport he has used frequently to appeal to macho voters. Critics however fear that Mr Trump's actions in Los Angeles are not just for show. Since returning to office, Mr Trump has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of presidential power to target the US bureaucracy, universities, law firms, cultural institutions and anywhere else he believes liberal ideologies linger. Mr Trump seemed to hint at what could come next when he pinned the blame for the Los Angeles unrest – without evidence – on 'insurrectionists.' It appeared to be a clear reference to the Insurrection Act, which would allow the military to be used as a domestic police force. 'Look strong' 'Trump is pretty free and loose when it comes to the use of force,' Dr Todd Belt, a political science professor at George Washington University, told AFP. 'He knows it is popular with his base, and he always likes to look strong in their eyes.' Mr Trump has talked for years about using the military against protests. Although he did not do so during his first term, his former defence secretary Mark Esper said Mr Trump asked why Black Lives Matter protesters could not be shot in the legs. Conversely, Mr Trump made no move to bring in the military when his own supporters attacked the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. Mr Trump would not say if he would invoke the Insurrection Act when asked by reporters on June 9 but he and his advisors have been framing the issue in increasingly apocalyptic terms. His top migration advisor Stephen Miller has explicitly framed the Los Angeles protests as a battle for the future of Western civilisation against an 'invasion' of migrants. 'The 'war' and 'invasion' framing have helped the administration make the case for the domestic use of these laws that are normally used to put down rebellions or invasions,' said Dr Belt. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
