Top Cuban official accuses US of trying to provoke conflict
WASHINGTON - A visiting senior Cuban official on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of ratcheting up tensions between Washington and Havana and expressed concerns that the U.S. was trying to provoke a military confrontation.
Speaking to reporters at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, Johana Tablada, deputy director for U.S. affairs in Cuba's foreign ministry, said an armed clash between the two old Cold War rivals was "not a good idea" and that the Cuban government was trying to ease the situation but that the U.S. appeared determined to further damage relations.
Tablada said new Trump administration measures targeting Communist-ruled Cuba intend to rupture relations "to create conditions, in my opinion, for, if necessary, a military confrontation."
Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials have taken a hardline approach to Cuba since he took office in January, returning longtime foe Cuba to a U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, tightening rules on remittances, and shutting off migration programs that allowed some Cubans to work in the U.S. legally.
Trump officials have not publicly threatened any military action.
A State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration had "no indication" that the Cuban government was ready for a "meaningful" dialogue with the U.S.
"We call on the regime to release the American citizens, return U.S. fugitives, and free the hundreds of Cuban political prisoners who remain imprisoned and used as bargaining chips," the spokesperson said in a statement.
U.S. Chief of Mission Mike Hammer - the top U.S. diplomat in Havana - has traveled the island widely in recent months to meet with political dissidents, raising the ire of the Cuban government, which accuses him of seeking to foment unrest.
Cuba's foreign ministry last week issued a verbal warning to Hammer, saying he had incited "Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities," calling his actions a violation of the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations.
Tablada accused Hammer of channeling U.S. humanitarian funds to undermine the Cuban government and said Cuban diplomats would not be allowed to engage in similar behavior in the U.S.
'To push both countries into scenarios of confrontation and collision is not a good idea,' she said.
Just days before Trump took office in January former President Joe Biden's administration removed Cuba from its terrorism blacklist, effectively reversing sanctions from Trump's first term.
After returning to office, Trump quickly returned Cuba to the blacklist and also reinstated many of the restrictions on trade and travel that Biden had eased. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
39 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump's 50% tariff threatens India's manufacturing ambitions
[NEW DELHI] India's largest shoemaker Farida Group had already staked out the land, a 150-acre plot in southern Tamil Nadu, for a sprawling new export plant. Then came a blow from Washington: US President Donald Trump announced he was doubling tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent. For Farida, which supplies brands such as Cole Haan and Clarks and depends on the US for about 60 per cent of its business, the impact was immediate. New orders stopped. The 10 billion rupee (S$146 million) project froze. 'With 25 per cent tariffs, you can still work, you can give some discount, negotiate with the buyer and make some adjustments in your profits,' Rafeeque Ahmed, the company's chairman, said. 'At 50 per cent, you don't have anything.' Farida is hardly alone. Trump's move would give India the highest tariff rate in Asia, threatening a manufacturing sector that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent a decade trying to build to take on the likes of China. The 'Make in India' campaign was supposed to lift manufacturing to 25 per cent of the economy. Last year, it stood at just 13 per cent – lower than the 16 per cent in 2015, according to World Bank data. The last few years did offer glimmers of the future Modi had envisioned. Apple scaled up iPhone assembly in India, making the country the second-largest smartphone producer after China. Pharmaceuticals and green tech have also gained ground. The US, whose policies and actions accelerated companies' adoption of a 'China Plus One' strategy to diversify supply chains, is now India's biggest export market and one of its top sources of foreign investment. 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 That progress is suddenly vulnerable. While the tariff hike spares smartphones and pharmaceuticals for now, it puts the rest of India's US$87 billion in US-bound exports on the line. 'Forget China Plus One right now. Companies are thinking India Plus One,' Ahmed said. 'They are making plans to move out of India.' India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump says the tariff hike is punishment for India's purchase of discounted oil from Russia, which he argues helps fund President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. But India was the only major economy to be hit with such 'secondary tariffs', even though China is the largest overall buyer of Moscow's crude. If the 50 per cent rate holds, Bloomberg Economics estimates US-bound exports from India could fall by 60 per cent and put nearly 1 per cent of gross domestic product at risk. Without exemptions for pharmaceuticals and electronics, the decline could reach 80 per cent. Even the earlier 25 per cent rate – already higher than in Vietnam, Malaysia or Bangladesh – was enough to threaten a 30 per cent drop in exports. For comparison, Chinese goods face about a 30 per cent US tariff. 'In addition to the economic challenge, politically it's difficult for Prime Minister Modi that India now pays a higher blanket rate than China,' said Alexander Slater, head of the India practice at consulting firm Capstone. China is pressing on other fronts as well. Beijing wants to limit tech transfers and equipment exports to India and South-east Asia, aiming to deter companies from relocating production, Bloomberg previously reported. China's rare earth curbs also hit Indian automakers earlier this year. At the same time, Trump's tariffs have opened the door for closer India-China ties. Direct flights may resume as soon as next month, and Beijing has eased restrictions on urea exports to India. On the factory floor, anxiety over the US tariff is palpable. Ajay Sahai, chief executive officer of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, said that exporters could see demand fall 20 per cent in the short term. The timing could not be worse: summer 2026 orders are being placed right now, but with tariffs sitting at 50 per cent, buyers are baulking. 'I have been getting 80 to 90 calls every day concerning these issues from exporters seeking solutions and ways out,' he said. 'It's difficult to do business in such a tariff environment.' Some factories are slashing prices to hold on to customers. The only way to retain buyers is by giving huge discounts, said Sudhir Sekhri, managing director at apparel maker Trend Setters Group. Spring and summer orders account for roughly 65 per cent of his firm's revenue. In Mumbai, Sharad Kumar Saraf, managing director of Technocraft Group, which produces scaffolding, textiles and other goods, is running the numbers to reduce costs for buyers. About a third of its sales are headed for the US. 'Additional tariffs is unwarranted and uncalled for and will impact our trade severely,' he said. There's still the possibility for a reprieve. US and Indian officials are continuing trade talks, with the hopes of landing the first tranche of a bilateral trade deal this fall that could dial back tariffs. Trump will also meet Putin in Alaska this week to discuss Ukraine, any breakthrough there could strengthen the case for dropping America's oil-related levies. But time is not on India's side. The longer the uncertainty drags on, the more companies will start looking elsewhere. India's share in many of these product categories is small and US brands can shift their supply chains quickly if they decide to, said P Senthilkumar, partner at Vector Consulting Group. The tariff threat feels personal for Farida Group, whose shoe plants employ about 23,000 people, with over half producing for the US. Every paused shipment or cancelled order brings painful choices, whether to halt or slow production, or let go of staff who have spent years honing their craft. 'You can't take business decisions in such uncertainty,' said Ahmed. 'What will happen to workers? Shall I send them back? They have been with me for years, they are skilled workers, I can't just send them back.' 'Workers would be one of the biggest sufferers,' he added. BLOOMBERG
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Trump threatens 'severe consequences' if Putin blocks Ukraine peace, World News
WASHINGTON/BERLIN — US President Donald Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Russia's Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine but also said on Wednesday (Aug 13) that a meeting between them could swiftly be followed by a second that would include the leader of Ukraine. Trump did not specify what the consequences could be, but he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday proves fruitless. The comments by Trump and the outcome of a virtual conference with Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv after fears the Alaska summit could end up selling out Ukraine by carving up its territory. However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024. When asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin does not agree to stop the war after Friday's meeting, Trump responded: "Yes, they will." Asked if those consequences would be sanctions or tariffs, Trump told reporters: "I don't have to say. There will be very severe consequences." But the president also described the aim of the meeting between the two leaders in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy. "If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one," Trump said. "I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there." Trump did not provide a time frame for a second meeting. Red lines European leaders and Zelenskiy had earlier spoken with Trump in a last-ditch call hosted by Germany to lay out red lines ahead of the Alaska meeting. "We had a very good call. He was on the call. President Zelenskiy was on the call. I would rate it a 10, very friendly," Trump said. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump agreed Ukraine must be involved in any discussions about ceding land, while Zelenskiy said Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a post-war settlement. "President Trump was very clear that the United States wanted to achieve a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska," Macron said. "The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the virtual meeting, said the principle that borders could not be changed by force must continue to apply. "If there is no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, then the United States and we Europeans should ... increase the pressure," he said. "President Trump knows this position. He shares it very extensively and therefore I can say: We have had a really exceptionally constructive and good conversation with each other." Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the largest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has previously said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Russia makes sharp advance into Ukraine On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskiy flew to Berlin for the virtual conferences with European leaders and then with Trump. He and the Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land, the last three in all-out war, and embolden Putin to expand further west. Russian forces have made a sharp thrust into eastern Ukraine in recent days in what may be an attempt to increase the pressure on Kyiv to give up territory. "I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing (about his stated wish to end the war)," Zelenskiy said. "He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine." A source familiar with the matter said the call with Trump discussed possible cities that could host a three-way meeting, depending on the outcome of the talks in Alaska. Wary of angering Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts, while stressing that there should be no deal without Ukraine's participation. Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Trump said his envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. A Gallup poll released last week found that 69 per cent of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means significant concessions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev earlier said Moscow's stance had not changed since last year. As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin had demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join Nato. Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender. [[nid:721315]]
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
China sees backlash from companies, workers over mandatory social security payments
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Social media users expressed fears the ruling may further disadvantage small companies and workers already struggling to make ends meet. BEIJING – A ruling by China's highest court has made it impossible for workers and their employers to waive social insurance contributions, triggering a broader discussion about inequalities in the welfare system. The decision by the Supreme People's Court bars informal arrangements between companies and their employees to opt out of mandatory social insurance payments from Sept 1. If enforced, the rules are especially a threat to small and medium-sized businesses, according to Societe Generale, which estimates they could increase costs to workers and employers by about 1 per cent of gross domestic product. Alarm swept through social media in response to the verdict on Aug 1, as fears spread of layoffs and business failures if the ruling further disadvantages small companies and workers already struggling to make ends meet. 'Of course that is going to cause anxiety and panic,' Douyin user Tiandiren Zhuo Lawyer said in a video liked over 20,000 times. How China manages its welfare system is key to restoring the confidence of households after the collapse of property prices, as authorities pivot to building a consumption-driven economy. The government has pledged to strengthen the safety net to improve people's ability to spend more and save less, with outlays in the first half on social needs reaching the highest in almost two decades. Cracking down on mandatory social insurance contributions – which until now haven't been strictly enforced – is largely in line with the goals of offering more social support while also replenishing pension coffers as payouts increase with a surge of retirees. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia India, Singapore ministers discuss deeper tie-ups in digitalisation, skills, industrial parks Business More seniors remain employed after retirement and re-employment ages raised in 2022: MOM study Singapore askST: Will assets seized in $3b money laundering case be sold at public auctions? Business StarHub first-half profit falls 41.7% to $47.9m; telco eyes 'more aggressive stance' amid competition Business CapitaLand Investment first-half profit falls 13.3%, appoints new CEO of private funds Singapore 2 dead after fire in Jalan Bukit Merah flat, about 60 evacuated Sport PSG beat Tottenham on penalties to win Uefa Super Cup Singapore TB screenings at two pre-schools after staff member diagnosed in July The court painted its decision as protecting workers' rights and didn't explicitly acknowledge the risks. The ruling 'effectively protects citizens' basic rights such as the right to social security, disperses employment risks for employers, and actively addresses the issue of an aging population, ' it said. More than 20 million workers will retire each year over the next decade, and a record-low birth rate means fewer people are entering the labour force to make contributions to sustain pensioner benefits. Such worries were palpable on social media. In a video viewed over 30,000 times on Weibo, a restaurant owner announced he was planning to close when the new rules come into effect because he couldn't afford the payments. 'This move will simply force employers to take from employee salaries to make the mandatory payments,' according to one popular Weibo post from user Awuxiaoxie. Many workers voiced their desire to receive higher salaries rather than an uncertain pension in the future. 'The money I pay now is taken by the elderly – but if no one is having children, who is going to pay social insurance to support me?' asked one user on Weibo, another popular platform. A 2019 study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences projects the main state pension fund, which operates on a pay-as-you-go model, will run out of money by 2035. The government in Beijing, however, can still make pension payments by using state funds. China has built the world's largest social security network covering more than one billion people as the economy transitioned away from central planning, where workers enjoyed cradle-to-grave welfare provided by state employers. But the system that has emerged resulted in huge disparities. Though there is a lack of official statistics, some analysts estimate state sector employees receive pension payouts that are around twice those of their counterparts working in the private sector. Inequality is pervasive elsewhere, with the average monthly pension payout for private enterprise workers reaching 3,162 yuan (S$564) in 2023, much higher than the 214 yuan for rural residents and unemployed urban dwellers. A rise in the gig economy has posed additional challenge to the system, as many flexible workers are left out of the system. The impact of the regulations could be widespread, given how common informal agreements are among workers and employers. A survey of more than 6,000 firms last year found only 28 per cent were 'fully compliant' on social security support, according to the Zhonghe Group. The financial burden on companies explains their motivation in waiving the employer's contributions. Once the loophole is plugged, some people argue the new rules would wipe out companies that struggle to stay competitive and survive only on low costs. Should the impact prove to be 'significant,' the government will likely push back the implementation date or offer measures designed to ease the fallout on companies, according to SocGen analysts Michelle Lam and Wei Yao. 'If social security laws are strictly enforced, this will no doubt raise costs for employers who have avoided making contributions in the past, likely resulting in job layoffs or wage cuts to minimise the impact on their revenue,' they said in a report. 'Another shock to the labour market is the last thing policymakers would like to see, so this should lead to policy recalibration.' BLOOMBERG
