US nominee to be UN ambassador says he will work to counter China
Mike Waltz made the comments on Tuesday, while attending a US Senate confirmation hearing on his appointment.
Waltz served as national security advisor at the beginning of Trump's second term.
But the president appointed him as UN ambassador in May amid criticism over Waltz's use of a private messaging app that resulted in the leak of information about a military operation.
Waltz criticized the UN at the Senate hearing, saying, "The UN has ballooned to over 80 agencies with overlapping missions that waste resources."
He also said that if confirmed he will push for cost reductions and other reforms. Waltz added he was "confident we can make the UN great again," under Trump's leadership.
He also spoke about China, which is the second-largest financial contributor to the UN after the US, and is expanding its influence.
Waltz said he supports any initiative to "block and tackle Chinese Communist Party influence."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of the opposition Democratic Party stressed in response that China is moving in to fill the void as the Trump administration presses ahead with budget cuts related to the UN and foreign aid.
The senator added that a consistent policy is needed to push back against China's influence.
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Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Japan Times
Trump tariffs spell trouble for Hawaii's few coffee farmers
Hawaiian coffee farmers have a message for President Donald Trump: Steep tariffs on major exporters such as Brazil will end up hurting them, too. Hawaii at first glance might seem the obvious beneficiary of tariffs on coffee. It is the only state in the country where the tropical goods grow, with the vast majority of java imbibed by Americans imported from South America and Vietnam. Higher-priced foreign imports should, in theory, make the island state's products comparatively more affordable. But growers say the opposite is true: rising prices across the board will hit consumers already struggling with inflation, curbing demand on everything from popular everyday roasts available at grocery stores to luxury Kona beans. 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Americans' beloved morning cup of joe could get even more expensive as the cost of tariffs start getting passed down to consumers, and that could risk a ripple effect of decreased consumption. "Any time you drive up costs to the point where buyers reduce their demand, if people leave the coffee market in the sense that they'll switch to an energy drink versus a cup of coffee, that's going to harm us,' said Shriner. Starbucks Corp. could take about a 1.4% earnings hit if tariffs on Brazil increase from the current 10% to 50%, according to TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles, who estimates that more than 20% of the roaster's North American beans come from Brazil. Starbucks had boosted lobbying spending earlier this year to the second-highest quarterly amount on record, noting tariff-related issues. Trump has said his tariff campaign is aimed at rewriting trade practices he thinks are unfair to the U.S. and encouraging a reshoring of production, from cars to metals mining. 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Economists and consumers have been bracing for higher prices stemming from Trump's tariff campaign. So far, the impact has been relatively muted, though June's consumer price index, which excludes the volatile food and energy categories, showed some companies are starting to pass on higher import costs. Hawaiian coffee farmers received about $21.90 per pound for green coffee in the 2024-2025 marketing year, according to the USDA. By the time that makes it to consumers, the best quality beans can cost even more. A pound of roasted coffee from Ka'awaloa Trail Farm in Big Island's famed Kona coffee-growing region retails for $60. Even at a current record high in data going back to 1980, a pound of ground roast coffee in the U.S. averaged just over $8 a pound, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "If the price of, let's say, Maxwell House, doubles at the grocery store, I don't think people are going to be like, 'Oh, now I'm going to buy Kona coffee,'' said Tony Tate, who along with his partner runs Ka'awaloa, a 7-acre coffee and cacao farm. The chocolate industry has also been pushing for an exemption from tariffs. Hawaii's cocoa production is barely existent, not even topping 50 tons of dry beans in 2022. The U.S. imported nearly 200,000 tons of cocoa beans last year — and that's already after a significant drop due to lower global production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hershey Co. said in May that it would seek an exemption, citing as much as $20 million in tariff costs during the second quarter. Unmitigated impacts could rise to $100 million later in the year after working through existing inventories, the company said. A tariff would have to be "so high, like hundreds of percent, to make it start to be competitive — and then there'd be no chocolate,' said Mānoa Chocolate founder Dylan Butterbaugh. The company uses both Hawaiian and imported beans to produce about 50 tons of chocolate each year. Lonohana Estate Chocolate's plans to expand are also being stymied. The Honolulu-based company already grows raw cacao and churns out cocoa liquor every day, and is trying to take on the next step of processing — extracting butter and powder from the liquid. But Trump's levies on China, the only country currently making new machines in the necessary size, have complicated the project, said founder Seneca Klassen. "Not only has the machinery come up in price, the instability of the marketplace has to be priced into financing,' he said. "Everything gets more expensive, everything gets less reliable. It's just bad news for business.'
Nikkei Asia
13 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
EU-China summit, Shanghai AI conference, Taiwan recall votes
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a day ago
Akazawa to Visit Washington Next Week for Tariff Talks
News from Japan Society Jul 19, 2025 20:11 (JST) Osaka, July 19 (Jiji Press)--Japanese chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said Saturday that he plans to visit Washington at the beginning of next week at the earliest for bilateral tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. He is aiming to advance the negotiations so as to avoid the United States' imposition of a 25 pct reciprocal tariff on all imports from Japan, which is due to come into effect on Aug. 1 as announced by Trump. Akazawa, also economic revitalization minister, revealed his travel plan to reporters after attending a ceremony related to the United States' "national day" event at the World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka on Saturday and meeting the visiting U.S. presidential delegation, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Japanese minister said that there were no tariff discussions at the day's ceremony and luncheon. The Japan-U.S. negotiations apparently have stagnated, partly due to Japan holding an election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, on Sunday. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
