Latest news with #US administration
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Using Developments in Sweida to Keep its New Occupation in Syria
The Israeli government is using the armed clashes in Sweida to establish a new form of control in southern Syria, political sources in Tel Aviv told the Israel Hayom newspaper. 'The government claims its presence in Sweida is vital for Israel's security and for the protection of the Druze and a source of stability in southern Syria,' the sources said. According to the newspaper, which is aligned with the hardline government, the US administration is aware of Israel's role and is cooperating with the government in Tel Aviv to carry out a hostage deal between Druze and Bedouin groups in Syria. 'In recent days, an unnamed senior Israeli official has been involved in prisoner swap talks between Druze and Bedouin groups in Syria, aiming to free hundreds of captives from both sides,' the newspaper reported. Israel is communicating with the Druze, while American mediators are talking to the Bedouins and the Syrian government, it revealed. The recent violence in Sweida, where Druze were attacked, strengthens Israel's view that it needs to control a buffer zone in Syria, Israel Hayom wrote. 'This is to prevent Islamist groups from targeting Israeli communities, especially since Israel's intelligence didn't foresee the recent attacks.' It said the need for buffer zones along all Israeli borders has become a key security concern since the October 7, 2023, attacks. 'Israel's main goal is to reduce tensions in Syria, though any calm is likely to be temporary,' high-ranking Israeli officials told the newspaper. The officials also argue that the violence in Sweida highlights the need for Israel to maintain a military presence in the buffer zones, which Israeli forces controlled last December. They noted that Israeli intelligence had no advance warning that hostile forces - first Syrian regime elements, then Bedouin fighters - were planning to attack the Druze. Therefore, the sources said, it is still unconfirmed that Israel has information about 'Islamist' factions trying to reach an Israeli town. 'We will not risk waiting for things to happen, and we must always act proactively, so as not to fall victim again,' they said. In recent days, several Israeli officials have been making threats against Syria. During the rare 'multi-front situational assessment' at the Glilot intelligence base — the first of its kind in nearly two years — Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the army 'is required to operate offensively on multiple fronts alongside vital defense in each sector and on the borders,' adding that the Israeli forces will 'continue to preserve air superiority and advance the intelligence effort.' Meanwhile, the Syria TV channel said that 'an Israeli occupation patrol of three vehicles infiltrated on Wednesday morning into the Sayda Al-Hanout town in southern Quneitra countryside.' Local sources said the Israeli forces advanced toward the village, set up a temporary checkpoint on the main road, and deployed around a former Syrian military site in the area.
NHK
2 days ago
- Business
- NHK
Bloomberg reports details of Japan-US trade deal
Bloomberg has reported the details of a trade deal struck between Japan and the United States. The US media outlet reported on Wednesday the agreement announced by US President Donald Trump the previous day. Bloomberg quoted a senior US administration official as saying Japan's "pledge" to invest 550 billion dollars in the United States is "akin to a sovereign wealth fund under which Trump himself could steer investments inside the US." The outlet reported that, according to the official, legal particulars and other details surrounding the pledge are still being hammered out. Bloomberg also said Japan reportedly agreed to buy 100 Boeing aircraft, boost rice purchases by 75 percent and buy 8 billion dollars in agricultural and other products while hiking defense spending with US firms to 17 billion dollars annually, from 14 billion dollars.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Trump and Japan reach trade deal with tariff rate set at 15%
US president Donald Trump reached a trade deal with Japan that will impose 15 per cent tariffs on US imports from the country, including its auto sector, while creating a $550 billion (€468.74 billion) fund backed by the Japanese to make investments in the United States. The agreement, touted by Mr Trump after securing breakthroughs in a final 75-minute Oval Office meeting Tuesday with Japan's top trade negotiator, spares the key US ally from a threatened 25 per cent tariff set to take effect next week and raises hope for other trade deals over the coming days. 'They had their top people here and we worked on it long and hard, and it's a great deal for everybody,' Mr Trump said at a White House event Tuesday evening. Under the deal, Japanese automobiles and parts would be subjected to the same 15 per cent rate as other of the country's exports, according to a senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to outline the agreement. In return, Japan will accept cars and trucks built to US motor vehicle safety standards, without subjecting them to additional requirements – a potentially major step to selling more American-built vehicles in the country. A centrepiece of the pact with Japan is the $550 billion pledge, which the official said was akin to a sovereign wealth fund under which Mr Trump himself could steer investments inside the US. Final terms of the agreement still need to be enshrined in a formal proclamation. Legal particulars and other details surrounding the $550 billion investment pledge are still being hammered out, the official said. The investment timeline is uncertain, and it is unclear whether Mr Trump could allocate the full sum during his term. The source of the Japanese funding was also not immediately available. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the investment sum would reach as much as $550 billion and would partly come in the form of loan guarantees. Mr Trump played the role of closer after eight rounds of negotiations, pressing for more concessions and securing better terms for the US in that final Oval Office meeting with Japan's chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, the official said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined in the final talks. Mr Trump has a track record of making last-minute demands in talks, including before the US inked its agreement with the UK. Previously, US and Japanese officials were said to be discussing a fund of around $400 billion, with profits equally split. But under the terms hashed out in the Oval Office meeting, Japan agreed to provide $550 billion to invest in projects in the United States that the president deems important, through vehicles returning 90 per cent of the profits to the US. A photo shared by Mr Trump's aide Dan Scavino on social media shows the initial figure was $400 billion, which appears to have been crossed out by Mr Trump and replaced by a handwritten $500 billion, before they settled at $550 billion. Japan has also agreed to buy 100 Boeing Co. aircraft, boost rice purchases by 75 per cent and buy $8 billion in agricultural and other products while hiking defence spending with American firms to $17 billion annually, from $14 billion, the senior official said. The country will also participate in an LNG pipeline project in Alaska, the official said, an apparent reference to a long-stalled $44 billion venture designed to export the state's gas around the globe. Mr Trump told lawmakers at the White House Tuesday evening that Japan is 'forming a joint venture' on a proposed Alaskan LNG project. 'They're all set to make that deal now,' Mr Trump said. 'Japan and the US have been conducting close negotiations with our national interests on the line,' Ishiba said in Tokyo. 'The two nations will continue to work together to create jobs and good products.' Mr Trump also pledged to give Japan a safety clause on forthcoming sectoral tariffs, including levies expected on semiconductors and pharmaceutical drugs – effectively agreeing to not treat the country worse than any other nation when it comes to those goods, the official said. In effect, that means Japan will be guaranteed whatever the lowest global rate is on those tariffs. US negotiators have so far resisted efforts to make exceptions and carveouts for sectoral tariffs, though the UK deal included a plan for limited relief from levies on steel. Shares in Japanese carmakers jumped in Tokyo on reports the auto sector rate would be lowered from 25 per cent to 15 per cent for Japan, with Toyota Motor Corp. rising more than 11 per cent. Mr Trump has repeatedly zeroed in on auto trade as he criticises trade imbalances with the country. Around 80 per cent of Japan's trade surplus with the US is in cars and auto parts. The yen fluctuated in early Tokyo trading, before strengthening again after the report from public broadcaster NHK on the auto tariffs. Japanese stocks on the Topix benchmark index rose, led by automakers, and US equity futures edged higher. – Bloomberg
Bloomberg
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump's Tariffs Target US Trade Partners Both Big and Small
With the letters unveiled Saturday to the European Union and Mexico threatening tariffs of 30% on each of the major trading partners' goods, President Donald Trump passed a significant milestone. If he delivers on his threats, he's increasing the amount of trade on which US importers will have to pay new elevated taxes to more than half the value of goods coming into the US. Products from the EU and Mexico together were worth more than $1.1 trillion in 2024, or more than a third of all imports. Add Japan, Canada and South Korea, all of which got their own letters last week, and you easily get over half of US annual imports. Which in the logic advanced by the US administration — that tariffs are meant to eliminate a trade deficit that has got out of hand — makes sense.
Malay Mail
14-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Vietnam's trade windfall is a warning: The transshipment risk remains — Phar Kim Beng and Lutfy Hamzah
JULY 14 — Vietnam's booming trade surplus with the United States, recently reported to have reached a record high in the first half of this year, appears at first glance to be a cause for national celebration. The scale of the surplus paints a picture of a country reaping the benefits of economic resilience and shrewd positioning in the global supply chain. But beneath this glittering headline lies a dangerous vulnerability: Vietnam's growing exposure to being labelled a transshipment hub for Chinese goods. This risk is not theoretical. It is fast becoming the central lens through which Vietnam's trade relations with the US are being assessed. In an environment where President Donald Trump's administration has reintroduced the blunt instrument of tariffs to achieve both political and economic aims, Vietnam's trade performance — no matter how impressive — has become a potential liability. JULY 14 — Vietnam's booming trade surplus with the United States, recently reported to have reached a record high in the first half of this year, appears at first glance to be a cause for national celebration. The scale of the surplus paints a picture of a country reaping the benefits of economic resilience and shrewd positioning in the global supply chain. But beneath this glittering headline lies a dangerous vulnerability: Vietnam's growing exposure to being labelled a transshipment hub for Chinese goods. Much of Vietnam's manufacturing capacity has surged in recent years due to the strategic relocation of production from China, driven by firms hoping to avoid the fallout of US-China decoupling. But with many of these manufacturers continuing to rely heavily on Chinese inputs — whether semiconductors, electronics components, or raw textiles — Washington is beginning to suspect that Vietnam's exports are merely rebranded Chinese goods making a stopover before heading to US ports. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son during the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. — Reuters pic The Trump administration has now formalised this suspicion into policy. Following tense negotiations, Vietnam managed to avoid the full force of a punitive tariff hike. But the agreement is fragile. While most Vietnamese exports will be taxed at a reduced rate, a separate, sharply higher tariff awaits any product deemed to be insufficiently transformed from its Chinese origin. The question now revolves around how the US defines 'substantial transformation' and how aggressively it enforces this threshold. Vietnam's supply chain remains deeply entangled with China. The challenge is not simply about tariffs but about verification. The US demands hard proof that goods exported from Vietnam are genuinely the product of Vietnamese labour, materials, and innovation — not just lightly assembled or relabelled Chinese components. This demand places immense pressure on Vietnamese exporters, many of whom lack the robust documentation and transparency systems needed to meet the expected compliance standards. Hanoi, in turn, finds itself in a precarious diplomatic position. On the one hand, it must satisfy American demands for transparency, inspection, and enforcement. On the other, it cannot afford to antagonise China, its largest trading partner and essential source of manufacturing inputs. This delicate balancing act is made more perilous by Trump's unpredictable and transactional foreign policy. His administration's rhetoric casts South-east Asian economies not as partners, but as intermediaries enabling Chinese evasion. Vietnam now risks being the poster child of such accusations. Even as Vietnamese officials work to tighten origin certification and increase domestic value-added production, the broader danger persists. Trump's tariff logic is not rooted in economic precision but political calculation. Tariffs are deployed not only to correct trade imbalances but to generate state revenue, rally political support, and project strength. Trump's team has already indicated its intent to use tariff penalties to generate significant sums for the federal treasury this year. Vietnam's status as a top trading partner makes it an attractive target. To navigate this volatile environment, Vietnam must move decisively. It must reform its rules-of-origin systems to become more transparent, digitised, and verifiable. This means not only overhauling customs procedures but ensuring that every export can be traced back to a clearly documented and Vietnamese-based supply chain. Without such a system, even legitimate exporters may find their goods penalised under ambiguous classifications. Moreover, the country must begin to diversify its input sources. This will not be easy. China's scale and price competitiveness are difficult to match. But a reliance on Chinese materials, in the eyes of US policymakers, now equates to strategic vulnerability. Vietnam must develop alternative supply arrangements, particularly with partners in Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and even India. This diversification is not just about economic resilience but geopolitical survival. Diplomatically, Vietnam must also intensify its multilateral engagement. Bilateral negotiations with the US are insufficient. Hanoi should work with Asean, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and other regional blocs to push back against arbitrary and unilateral trade restrictions. By framing the conversation within a multilateral rules-based system, Vietnam can gain leverage and legitimacy. The broader lesson is sobering. Vietnam's economic success has been built on its integration into global supply chains. But in an era where geopolitical rivalry has corrupted the logic of free trade, that very integration can become a liability. Trump's tariffs, while ostensibly targeted at China, are being implemented in ways that harm America's allies and partners. The goal is less about fair trade and more about dominance and extraction. South-east Asia is watching closely. Vietnam may be the current target, but the logic extends across the region. Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia — all of whom play key roles in the regional manufacturing ecosystem — may soon face similar accusations. The United States, under Trump's leadership, is reshaping global commerce into a series of loyalty tests: comply with our tariffs, rewrite your laws, reconfigure your supply chains—or be punished. In this climate, Vietnam's record-breaking trade surplus is no guarantee of security. In fact, it may be the very reason why more scrutiny is coming. The challenge for Hanoi is not simply to weather this storm, but to reposition itself for a new era where trade success is judged less by volume and more by provenance. In a world where every shipping manifest is now a political document, and every export can become a diplomatic flashpoint, Vietnam must become more than a manufacturing hub. It must become a rules-enforcer, a supply chain innovator, and a standard-bearer of economic credibility. Otherwise, its hard-earned surplus may prove ephemeral outshined by the enduring burden of suspicion. * Phar Kim Beng is Professor of Asean Studies and Director of the Institute of Internationalization and Asean Studies (IINTAS), International Islamic University Malaysia. ** Luthfy Hamzah is a research fellow at IINTAS *** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail
