Latest news with #TRADE
Focus Malaysia
02-08-2025
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
Ramasamy: US tariff reductions or strategic retreat? Malaysia's Boeing deal raises alarming questions
TRADE, Investment and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz proudly claimed that Malaysia did not cross any 'red lines' in negotiating the recent reduction of US reciprocal tariffs from 25% to 19%. Together with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he painted a picture of tough, principled bargaining that delivered results without compromising national interests. However, this narrative quickly unravelled. In the same breath, Tengku Zafrul admitted that one of the conditions for the tariff reduction was Malaysia's agreement to purchase 30 Boeing planes valued at US$9.5 bil (RM40.63 bil) for the Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG). The order – placed as early as March this year – includes 18 Boeing 737-8 and 12 Boeing 737-10 planes. It is not only Malaysia that has been pushed into such purchases. Other countries that received tariff relief from the US have reportedly made similar orders. Still, it is deeply troubling that Malaysia was effectively coerced into buying Boeing planes just to satisfy Washington's terms. 'No such thing as free lunch' Aircraft procurement should be driven by national interest and value for money. Whether from Boeing in the US or Airbus in France, Malaysia ought to have pursued an open tender process to ensure competitiveness and transparency. Instead, it appears that the deal was dictated more by geopolitics than by sound economics. This situation raises a larger question: what other concessions did Malaysia make in return for the tariff reduction? Anwar's government has presented the tariff cut as a diplomatic victory. But the reality seems to be far more complex – and costly. There is no such thing as a free lunch with the US, especially under President Donald Trump's aggressive 'America First' trade policy. For Malaysia, the price of lower tariffs seems to have been the erosion of sovereign decision-making. This kind of transactional diplomacy reflects a new form of economic imperialism – one where tariffs are wielded as instruments of coercion to secure purchases of American products. In this light, Tengku Zafrul's claim that Malaysia did not cross any red lines rings hollow. Forcing a sovereign country to buy specific goods as a pre-condition for trade concessions is, by any standard, a breach of those red lines. It is time for both Anwar and Tengku Zafrul to come clean. Malaysians deserve to know the full extent of the concessions made in this tariff deal. Transparency is essential if public confidence in the government's foreign and trade policy is to be maintained. The issue here is not merely about trade or tariffs – it is about whether countries like Malaysia can truly chart an independent path in global economic affairs. Or are we destined to dance to the tune of powerful nations under the guise of diplomacy? As a Tamil proverb puts it: there must be a reason why the rat runs naked. The question is whether Malaysia has been exposed naked in the tariff reduction deal with the US? – Aug 2, 2025 Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image credit: Tengku Zafrul/Facebook
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1409 Hints, Clues And Answer For Tuesday, April 29th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Monday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: It's the second-to-last day of April and the Wordles just keep coming. We're past the halfway mark as far as Wordle answers go, with something like a total of 2,300. After that? I doubt the New York Times calls it quits. Maybe we start over, or move to six-letter words. I'm very curious. In the meantime, we'll keep plugging away. Let's solve today's! The Hint: Pure happiness. The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter in it—again (for like the fifth day in a row). Okay, spoilers below! FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder . . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. There's no way I can catch up with the Bot at this point, unless tomorrow I get it in 1 or 2. I'm four points down, so if I get it in 1 and the Bot gets it in three, I'd get 3 points for guessing in 1 and another for beating the Bot. The Bot would get 0 points and we'd tie. If the Bot took four tries, he'd be at -1, and I'd win by a hair. If I got it in 2 and the Bot took 5 tries, I'd win by 1 point. These are incredibly unlikely scenarios. In any case, TRADE was a very bad opener, leaving me with 371 words, but SPOIL slashed that down to just 1: BLISS for the win! Today's Wordle Bot I get 1 point for guessing in three and 0 for tying the Bot and the Bot gets the same, bumping each of our April scores to: Erik: 13 points Wordle Bot: 17 points The word bliss comes from Old English blīths, meaning "joy," "cheer," or "intense happiness." It is related to blīthe (meaning "happy" or "gentle"), which survives today as blithe. Both trace back to Proto-Germanic blithiz ("gentle, kind, happy") and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to rejoice" or "be gentle." Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon eyes chance to boost trade ahead of U.S. tariffs against Mexico, Canada, China
PORTLAND, Ore. () – Ahead of U.S. tariffs against Mexico and Canada, a pair of bills are making their way through the Oregon legislature in an effort to boost trade and international relations in the state. The bills come as President Trump announced plans to impose tariffs against Mexico and Canada starting Tuesday along with plans to double a universal 10% tariff on imports from China, as reported by , noting Trump called for the tariffs because of illicit drug smuggling into the U.S. Ahead of those tariffs, some Oregon lawmakers are looking to strengthen the state's overseas partnerships with Mexico, Canada and China — which are Oregon's top trading Wednesday, members of the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade held a hearing on two trade-related bills. The legislation comes as Oregon exports rose by 20% in 2024 and reached an all-time high of $34 billion, according to the committee, adding that local businesses are now facing uncertainty ahead of tariffs. The first bill under discussion was , the Oregon Trade Resilience and Developing Exports (TRADE) bill. The Oregon TRADE bill would direct Business Oregon, Travel Oregon, the Port of Portland and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to develop a unified trade strategy. Under the bill, this strategy must include hiring consultants to represent Oregon in foreign markets, support outbound and inbound trade for government and businesses, promote Oregon exports abroad and foreign direct investment in the state and must provide technical assistance to Oregon businesses impacted by foreign tariffs. The bill requests $3,200,000 in lottery funds to implement provisions in the bipartisan bill, whose chief sponsors include Committee Chair Daniel Nguyen (D-Lake Oswego & SW Portland) and Vice-Chair Rep. Ed Diehl (R-Stayton). House passes bill to save Oregon Health Plan if Congress kills Medicaid funding 'The Oregon TRADE bill is a proactive solution that in the best of times will promote Oregon products and tourism abroad, and in the worst of times serve as a last line of defense for Oregon businesses caught in the crossfire of a trade war,' said Rep. Nguyen, Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade. 'With Trump's tariffs jeopardizing billions of dollars in Oregon exports and straining valued relationships, it's especially critical to have a cohesive, all hands-on deck trade strategy–Oregon consumers, workers, and business owners depend on it.' During Wednesday's hearing, Nguyen explained, 'Oregon's economy is reliant on global trade. Oregon's electronics, metals, timber, wheat, wine and more are world-renowned.' 'Despite a surge in exports by more than 20% last year, equating to more than $34 billion, Oregon businesses across industries cannot expand or brace for the worst due to the uncertainty posed by the looming tariff proposals,' Nguyen testified. 'From Canadian crude oil used to pave Oregon's roads to the Mexican glass bottles used to package Oregon spirits, businesses rely on foreign goods and material for a wide variety of products. Despite our dependence on global trade, Oregon lacks a comprehensive trade strategy,' Nguyen said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daniel Chen, the director general of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Seattle was among experts who provided testimony for the bill, providing an overview of Oregon's reach to Taiwan and Asia Pacific countries. 'Taiwan right now is Oregon's sixth largest trading partner with a total trade volume of $2.1 billion,' Chen said. Chen pointed to trade in the agricultural and technology industries between the two countries. 'According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the year 2023, Taiwan became the fastest-growing trading partner with Oregon globally in semiconductor devices and related products. So, bilateral trade in this category, grew by almost 17 times…compared to 2022,' Chen said. Washington man arrested for stealing $8M fishing boat with crew still on board, officials say Carlos Quesnel, consul general of Mexico, was among other speakers who testified in favor of the bill, citing strong trade relations between Oregon and Mexico. 'Trade is not just about numbers, it is about people, jobs, shared prosperity and the riches we build between in our communities. Mexico has long been a strategic partner of Oregon and today, that partnership has reached historic levels,' Quesnel said. In 2020, Mexico was ranked as Oregon's ninth-largest trade partner, before becoming Oregon's second-largest trade partner today — with top exports including automotive parts, semiconductors, industrial machinery, agriculture and livestock, Quesnel noted. 'Trade between our regions has grown from $1.3 billion in 2020 to $7.1 billion in 2024,' Quesnel said. 'Today's proposal, which aims to create a unified trade strategy for Oregon, offers a valuable opportunity to enhance and expand the already successful trade relationship between Oregon and the world.' Floating shanty visible from I-205 removed from the Columbia River As the hearing turned to questioning from the committee, Vice Chair Diehl noted that he wants this bill to benefit Oregon as a whole. 'What I want to make sure of is that this benefits the entire state. And so, we have some industries which are more glamorous and they may actually have more revenue, trade going on but there's other ones that are in different parts of the state that may employ a lot of people, but they may not have the same financial revenue,' Diehl said. 'How do we make sure that this does balance that out and reflects the different industry sectors in the state?' In response, Rep. Nguyen testified that the Oregon TRADE bill could give businesses more international connections, stating, 'We have a lot of businesses that are really focused on running their business, whether it's farming, whether it's manufacturing, not every company has government relations or a global trade arm. And this is where I feel like the agencies working with businesses can be that trade arm, provide that access to foreign governments and business connections in other countries that might not be available if you didn't have a department.' 'This is a way that we're able to provide those tools that can really make smaller and medium-size businesses more competitive,' Nguyen added. Nguyen noted the bill provides an opportunity to 'uplift everyday people,' adding, 'We often get caught up in some of the dialogue back and forth about politics but the vast majority of folks, they don't care about that. They care about what we're doing right now, and I think that's what our responsibility is to really highlight whether it's the more glamorous manufacturing that happens, it's in the global headlines, but equally important are really the bread-and-butter industries, the farming, the wheat farmers, that really feed the world. And that's something I really want to be able to help.' Fielding a question from Rep. Alek Skarlatos (R-Canyonville) about measuring success of the bill, Nguyen said state lawmakers should work with state agencies for accountability and ensure the bill is helping businesses and bolstering Oregon's international relationships. 'Does this look like a BMW neighborhood?' In another round of testimony for the bill, Edward Kimmi — honorary consul for the Republic of Korea and Council President for the City of Beaverton — pointed to 'untapped' trade opportunities in the agricultural, semiconductor, renewable energy and tourism sectors between South Korea and Oregon. 'Oregon is a leading producer of hazelnuts, wheat, wine and seafood, all of which are in high demand in South Korea. Expanding trade agreements and market access would further support Oregon's farmers and food producers.,' Kimmi said. 'Additionally, Oregon's semiconductor and technology sectors have strong synergies with South Korea's advanced tech industry, home to major firms like Samsung and SK Hynix.' Kimmi added, 'Oregon's economy is at a crossroads. The effect of Trump trade policies, including tariffs, and shifting global supply chain have impacted key industries such as agriculture, technology, manufacturing and tourism. These disruptions have made it more important than ever for state, county, and city governments to work together with private partners to create a unified trade strategy that strengthens Oregon's position in the global market.' Kimberly Branam, Chief Trade and Economic Development Officer for Port of Portland, echoed support for the bill, stating, 'Oregon's economic health is so reliant on trade and this funding and strategic plan is greatly needed. Oregon benefits from international trade through exports, foreign direct investment and tourism.' The second bill discussed during the hearing was House Bill 2756, the Global Oregon Trade Offices (GO TO) bill, which would create the Oregon-Taiwan Trade Center and the Oregon-Vietnam Trade Center. The bill appropriates $500,000 to the Oregon Business Development Department to establish the trade centers. Under the bill, OBDD would also be allowed to add more offices in Taiwan or Vietnam to foster economic development and increase trade. Dysentery cases rise in Portland metro area, health department reports An amendment to the bill would further allow the department to create five additional offices in other countries deemed critical trade partners for Oregon. 'We know that direct, personal, and sustained engagement will be an essential component of whatever strategic trade plans we build,' said Rep. Paul Evans (D-Monmouth, Independence, West Salem and South Salem). 'Trump's Tariffs have exponentially increased our need to get trade centers up and running now in places like Taiwan and Vietnam, where we can make the biggest impact. Over time, we can expand partner locations as their markets evolve.' Evans added, 'Right now, more than any time in my lifetime. Democracy across the world is under, if not attack, then certainly it's under a microscope. Is democracy the best way to move forward? I mention democracy because I happen to believe in the old-fashioned democratic version that market democracies, where your rights and liberties are protected and chief among those is the ability for commerce, to trade among nations for people to develop their ideas and products and be able to sell. That is the best way to promote peace.' Evans said he believes that if Oregon does not invest in trade with Taiwan, Oregon would be losing its chance to have a 'leg up' in competition with other states that have preexisting relationships with the country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
