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Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff
FILE PHOTO: Container trucks queue to enter the Hai Phong International Container Terminal, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo FILE PHOTO: A container ship is seen near the Hai Phong International Container Terminal, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff HANOI - Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-level negotiations on Friday against the backdrop of an impending U.S. tariff of 46% on imports from the Southeast Asian nation, which could significantly impact its growth. The Vietnamese trade ministry said in a statement released on Saturday that the meeting, which occurred in Jeju, South Korea, following the 31st APEC Ministerial Meeting on Trade, symbolised both nations' commitment to fostering a stable economic, trade, and investment relationship. The talks follow a phone call last month between Vietnamese trade minister Nguyen Hong Dien and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that officially started negotiations. "USTR Greer agreed with Vietnam's current approach and proposal," the trade ministry's statement said. "The United States hopes that with the mutual efforts, the technical-level negotiations in the coming days will yield positive results." The U.S. has postponed the implementation of the 46% tariff on Vietnam until July. If enforced, the levy could disrupt growth in Vietnam, which is heavily dependent on sales to the United States, its largest export market, and substantial foreign investments in manufacturing goods for export. Vietnam has the fourth-largest trade surplus among all U.S. trading partners, worth $123.5 billion last year. In an attempt to diminish that trade surplus, Hanoi has recently implemented several measures, including reducing tariffs on a multitude of goods destined for the U.S. and intensifying its efforts to curb the shipment of Chinese goods to the U.S. via its territory. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Vietnam steps up talks with US to reduce hefty tariff
FILE PHOTO: A container ship is seen near the Hai Phong International Container Terminal, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-level negotiations on Friday against the backdrop of an impending U.S. tariff of 46% on imports from the Southeast Asian nation, which could significantly impact its growth. The Vietnamese trade ministry said in a statement released on Saturday that the meeting, which occurred in Jeju, South Korea, following the 31st APEC Ministerial Meeting on Trade, symbolised both nations' commitment to fostering a stable economic, trade, and investment relationship. The talks follow a phone call last month between Vietnamese trade minister Nguyen Hong Dien and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that officially started negotiations. "USTR Greer agreed with Vietnam's current approach and proposal," the trade ministry's statement said. "The United States hopes that with the mutual efforts, the technical-level negotiations in the coming days will yield positive results." The U.S. has postponed the implementation of the 46% tariff on Vietnam until July. If enforced, the levy could disrupt growth in Vietnam, which is heavily dependent on sales to the United States, its largest export market, and substantial foreign investments in manufacturing goods for export. Vietnam has the fourth-largest trade surplus among all U.S. trading partners, worth $123.5 billion last year. In an attempt to diminish that trade surplus, Hanoi has recently implemented several measures, including reducing tariffs on a multitude of goods destined for the U.S. and intensifying its efforts to curb the shipment of Chinese goods to the U.S. via its territory. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Japan Today
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
India-Pakistan conflict offers rich intelligence opportunity for China
By Greg Torode FILE PHOTO: China's J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha//File Photo The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir offers a potentially rich intelligence harvest for China in its own rivalry with India as it gleans data from its fighter jets and other weapons used in action by Pakistan. Security analysts and diplomats say China's military modernisation has reached a point where it has the ability to deeply scrutinise Indian actions in real time from its border installations and Indian Ocean fleets as well as from space. "From an intelligence perspective, this is a rare target of opportunity right on China's borders involving a key potential adversary," said Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill. Two U.S. officials said a Chinese-made J-10 Pakistani jet fighter shot down at least two Indian military planes - one of them a French-made Rafale fighter. India has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes while Pakistan's defence and foreign ministers have confirmed the use of J-10 aircraft but not commented on which missiles or other weapons were used. The aerial clash is a rare opportunity for militaries around the world to study the performance of pilots, fighter jets and air-to-air missiles in active combat, and use that knowledge to prepare their own air forces for battle. Competing regional giants and nuclear powers, India and China are widely seen as long-term strategic rivals, sharing a 3,800-kilometer Himalayan border that has been disputed since the 1950s and sparked a brief war in 1962. The most recent standoff - that started in 2020 - thawed in October as the two sides struck a patrolling agreement. Security analysts say both sides have taken steps to strengthen their military facilities and capabilities along the border, but it is also from above that China packs an intelligence gathering punch. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) notes that China now fields 267 satellites - including 115 devoted to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and a further 81 that monitor military electronic and signals information. It is a network that dwarfs its regional rivals, including India, and is second only to the U.S.. "Both in terms of space and missile tracking capabilities, China is much better off now in terms of being able to monitor things as they happen," said Neill, who is an adjunct fellow at Hawaii's Pacific Forum think-tank. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' questions about the deployment of its military satellites and other questions about its intelligence gathering. Pakistan's military media wing and information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment on any information sharing with China. Pakistan has previously said it has an "all-weather strategic, cooperative partnership" with China. India has not commented on the issue, but its top diplomat in Britain, High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, told Sky News on Thursday that China's relationship with Pakistan was not a concern for India. "China requires a relationship with all of its neighbours, that includes us," he said. MISSILE DEPLOYMENTS Chinese military intelligence teams would be eager to garner information on any Indian use of air defences and launches of cruise and ballistic missiles - not just in terms of flight paths and accuracy but command and control information, analysts and diplomats say. Any deployment of India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile - a weapon it developed jointly with Russia - would be of particular interest, some analysts say, given they do not believe it has been used in combat. China has also beefed up its intelligence gathering at sea. It has been increasingly active in the Indian Ocean in recent years, with China deploying space tracking ships as well as oceanographic research and fishing vessels on extended deployments, open source intelligence trackers say. Regional diplomats say that while the Chinese navy has been relatively cautious about extensive warship deployments into the Indian Ocean, still lacking a broad network of bases, it actively seeks intelligence with these other vessels. Over the last week, some trackers noted unusually large fleets of Chinese fishing vessels moving apparently in unison to within 120 nautical miles of Indian naval drills in the Arabian Sea as tensions rose with Pakistan. Pentagon reports on China's military modernisation and analysts note that China's fishing fleets routinely perform a coordinated militia function that plays an important intelligence gathering role. "These vessels may double up as listening posts, tracking development rhythms and response patterns, feeding early warning, naval intel to their sponsors," wrote open source tracker Damien Symon in an X post that highlighted the deployment of 224 Chinese vessels near Indian naval exercises on May 1. Chinese officials do not usually acknowledge the existence of fishing militia or intelligence work carried out by other nominally-civilian vessels. Given its deep and broad strategic relationship with Pakistan, Beijing can also be expected to fully exploit its network of envoys and military teams there for key nuggets. "The presence of Chinese military advisers and other personnel in Pakistan is well-known given how Pakistan's Ministry of Defence has been importing some of its most advanced military hardware from China, so we can be certain the PLA would be able to access relevant data," said James Char, a Chinese security scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Ya Libnan
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Pakistan's jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft, Reuters
China's J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo By Saeed Shah and Idrees Ali ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON – A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two U.S. officials told Reuters, marking a major milestone for Beijing's advanced fighter jet. An Indian Air Force spokesperson said he had no comment when asked about the Reuters report. The performance of a leading Chinese fighter jet against a Western rival is being closely watched in Washington for insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets – bringing down at least two. Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft. Both officials said Pakistan's F-16 aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin , were not used in the shootdown. Delhi has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes and instead said it carried out successful strikes against what it said was 'terrorist' infrastructure inside Pakistan. World powers from the U.S. to Russia and China have called for calm in one of the world's most dangerous and most populated nuclear flashpoint regions . In France, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation and the MBDA , , consortium, which makes the Meteor air-to-air missile, could not immediately be reached for comment on a public holiday. While Reuters reported on Wednesday that three Indian planes went down, citing local government officials in India, this marks the first Western confirmation that Pakistan's Chinese-made jets were used in the shootdowns. Pakistan's Defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told Reuters on Thursday that the J-10 was used to shoot down three French-made Rafale planes, which were newly acquired by India. Altogether, Pakistan says it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat . CLOSELY EYING The Rafale and the model of the J-10 used by Pakistan are both considered generation 4.5 fighter jets, placing them at the leading edge of combat aircraft. Western analysts and defense industry sources said the live use of some of the advanced weapons that could be deployed in future major power conflicts would be scrutinized in minute detail, but emphasized it was too early to draw firm conclusions. 'Air warfare communities in China, the U.S. and a number of European countries will be extremely interested to try and get as much ground truth as they can on tactics, techniques, procedures, what kit was used, what worked and what didn't,' said Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Social media posts highlighted the face-off between China's PL-15 air-to-air missile against the Meteor, produced by European missile group MBDA But the analysts and sources said crucial details were unclear, including whether Meteors were carried or how they may have been deployed. 'At the moment, it's not possible to judge anything. We know so little,' a Western defense industry source said. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three major wars, as well as numerous smaller conflicts. Blasts rang out across the city of Jammu in Indian Kashmir late on Thursday during what Indian military sources said they suspected was a Pakistani drone attack across the region on the second day of clashes between the neighbors. Pakistan said earlier on Thursday it shot down 25 drones from India overnight, while India said its air defenses had stopped Pakistani drone and missile attacks on military targets. (Reuters)
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Vietnam's shipments from China, to US reach record high amid trade fraud crackdown
FILE PHOTO: A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at Hai Phong port in Hai Phong, Vietnam, April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo HANOI - Vietnam's imports from China and exports to the United States both reached a post-pandemic record in April, amid talks with Washington to reduce Hanoi's trade surplus and a crackdown on Chinese goods being shipped to the U.S. via its territory. The Southeast Asian nation faces the risk of 46% duties on its exports to the U.S. if the White House confirms this rate at the end of a global tariff pause in July. This could undermine Vietnam's growth model and hit multinationals exporting from the country, including Samsung and Nike. Hanoi has made multiple offers to the Trump administration to avoid high levies, including clamping down on illegal transshipment of Chinese goods to the U.S. via Vietnam. Goods benefit from lower tariffs if labelled as 'Made in Vietnam'. However, trade trends that have attracted U.S. criticism are accelerating, potentially complicating Vietnam's efforts to extract U.S. concessions in ongoing trade talks. The Trump administration wants to reduce trade imbalances, but Vietnam's surplus with the United States - already one of the highest globally - expanded by nearly 25% in the four months to April year on year, according to Vietnam's statistics agency. In March alone, it exceeded $13.5 billion, the highest monthly figure ever, U.S. data showed. Manufacturers in Vietnam are ramping up exports to the United States before a possible tariffs hike, multiple industry executives said. In April, shipments to the U.S. exceeded $12 billion, 34% higher than a year earlier, and the largest value recorded after the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's customs data showed. Vietnam's Cai Mep deep-sea port, which handles most of the country's sea-borne exports to the United States, is experiencing a surge in shipments to the U.S., said Soren Pedersen, vice president at SSA Marine, which operates a port in Cai Mep and is one of the world's largest port operators. He told Reuters Cai Mep, which hosts all major shipping companies, including Maersk, MSC and COSCO, has 26 container ships booked for weekly departures to the U.S. in May, "a record high" from an average of 20-22. "Most container terminals are now operating at or near full capacity," he said, noting that was in anticipation of possible higher tariffs. CHINA IMPORTS At the same time, Vietnam is ramping up imports from China, which also reached a post-pandemic record in April, exceeding $15 billion, according to customs data. Vietnam's exports to the U.S. in recent years have been fuelled by imports from China, with inflows from Beijing closely matching the value and swings of exports to Washington. Vietnam's imports of Chinese goods, often components or raw materials used in Vietnamese factories, grew nearly 31% in April from a year earlier. Industrial production rose 8.9% in the same period. White House officials have accused Vietnam of being a mere waypoint for goods made in China and shipped to the United States, with no or insufficient value added in the country to justify 'Made in Vietnam' labels. In response, Hanoi started a crackdown on illegal transshipment in April, increasing controls on imported goods and the issuance of certificates about products' origins. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
