Why Trump's 14-nation tariff package puts China on edge and pressures Southeast Asia
Advertisement
Instead, Beijing's policymakers may feel increasingly cornered, as Washington also moved to target 14 countries – many of them China's close trading partners – with tariffs of up to 40 per cent.
This came despite breakthrough talks in London that laid the groundwork to
remove most bilateral export controls – from China's rare earth restrictions to US aircraft engines and chips.
Analysts said the latest US tariff package was a calculated strategy to isolate China and strengthen Washington's position in coming trade negotiations, as the 90-day trade truce agreed in May is set to expire in early August.
'Trump's newly announced tariffs ... are a continuation of this decoupling agenda,' said Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy at South China University of Technology.
Advertisement
'It's both pressure and division: the message is clear – 'cooperative' countries like Vietnam get
preferential treatment , while others face high tariffs,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
27 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong slams ‘smear campaigns' as Jimmy Lai returns to court for trial
The Hong Kong government has strongly condemned 'smear campaigns' by foreign forces and anti-China media companies in relation to the national security law trial of former newspaper boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who returns to court on Thursday. Prosecutors and defence lawyers will make their final oral arguments in his high-profile trial . The closing submissions procedure will be the Apple Daily founder's last appearance at West Kowloon Court before the three presiding High Court judges reach a verdict on his case of conspiracies to publish seditious articles and collude with foreign forces. A government spokesman warned on the eve of the trial resuming that it was inappropriate for anyone to comment on details of the case in an 'attempt to interfere with the court to exercise judicial power independently, which might otherwise constitute perverting the course of justice'. However, external forces and anti-China media would 'still continue to distort the truth', he said. The spokesman noted that Lai's lawyers had previously clarified that the former media boss had received appropriate treatment and welfare in prison, while stressing the trial was based on the principle of the rule of law. Hong Kong law enforcement agencies had been taking actions strictly based on evidence, which had nothing to do with the political stance, background or occupation of the people or entities concerned, he added.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong holds first meeting of new top-level anti-terrorism group
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has chaired the first meeting of a high-level counterterrorism group, later announcing that a large exercise to simulate terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure will be held this month. Advertisement The Chief Executive Counter-terrorism Steering Group discussed the progress of various groups under a new three-tier mechanism, global and local threats, and the directions and strategies of the government's counterterrorism work, a statement released after Wednesday's meeting said. 'As a metropolitan city, Hong Kong may also face threats under the global and local terrorism landscape,' Lee said. 'As such, we must further strengthen the [Hong Kong] government's overall counterterrorism work.' It was the first top-level meeting under the three-tier anti-terrorism mechanism introduced in last year's policy address to boost the city's defences against evolving global terrorism threats. Advertisement The city's No 2 official, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok are deputy chairmen of the steering group. The top-tier group comprises ministers, department chiefs, heads of the disciplined services and national security officials.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
What does the Beidaihe guest list tell us about China's economic priorities?
As China's top leaders enjoy their summer retreat at the northern beach resort of Beihaihe, analysts are poring over the guest list for clues about Beijing's priorities ahead of October's crucial plenary meeting to agree on China's next five-year plan. The list of invitees to the annual gathering , as reported by state media, suggests that China's leaders are placing a heavy emphasis on science, innovation and entrepreneurship, as they seek to accelerate China's development and application of emerging technologies. More than 60 experts received invitations to this year's Beidaihe holiday, including leading scientists in quantum physics, biology, artificial intelligence, materials science and medical research, as well as entrepreneurs from hi-tech industries, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua. Among the participants were structural biologist Yan Ning; top quantum physicist Pan Jianwei; and Xu Binghe, a leading breast cancer expert. The retreat also welcomed Liu Qingfeng, chairman of voice recognition technology pioneer iFlyTek; Wu Yunkun, president of cybersecurity firm Qi An Xin Technology (QAX); and Li Xuelong, chief technology officer at state-owned telecoms giant China Telecom. Also invited were eight fundamental researchers under 40 years of age, with the youngest member of the group – Feng Jiandong, a chemistry professor at Zhejiang University – aged just 33.
