Trump to attend Asean Summit in KL, says Anwar
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement during his speech tabling the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament today.
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New Straits Times
3 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Thailand celebrates 19pct US tariff, avoids 36pct threat
BANGKOK: Thailand welcomed on Friday the 19 per cent trade tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump as a "major success", a government spokesman said, averting a threatened levy of 36 per cent. Trump ordered stiff tariffs on dozens of trading partners in an effort to reshape global trade in favour of the US economy. Thailand has been negotiating with Washington for weeks, seeking a reduction in the 36 per cent levy on key exports threatened under Trump's "Liberation Day" measures. "This finalised deal, setting US import tariffs at 19 per cent, marks a major success for Thailand," Thai government spokesman Jirayu Huangsab said in a statement. Featured Videos "It represents a win-win approach aimed at preserving Thailand's export base and long-term economic stability." The United States' goods trade deficit with Thailand hit US$45.6 billion in 2024, up 11.7 per cent from the year before, according to US Trade Representative data. Thailand has struggled to reignite its economy since the Covid-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions hammered the key tourism sector. The Thai government in May cut its 2025 economic growth forecast to 2.3-3.3 percent, from 3.2-4.2 per cent, citing uncertainty over tariffs. Growth in 2024 was 2.5 per cent. The tariff announcement on Thursday in Washington came days after Trump intervened to help broker a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. Five days of heavy border clashes between the two neighbours – their deadliest in decades – left more than 40 people dead and 300,000 evacuated from their homes.--AFP
New Straits Times
3 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Taiwan vows to push for lower US tariff after 20pct hit
TAIPEI: Taiwan vowed on Friday to seek a lower tariff after Donald Trump imposed a "temporary" 20 per cent levy on its shipments as part of his global trade war. The US president had threatened to hit the island with a 32 per cent tax and possible duties on semiconductor chips. After four rounds of face-to-face negotiations and multiple video conferences, Taipei and Washington were still trying to strike a deal, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Facebook. "The US has announced a temporary 20 per cent tariff for Taiwan, with the possibility of further reductions should an agreement be reached," Lai said. "The government will continue to strive for a reasonable tariff rate and complete the final stages of the tariff negotiations." Export-dependent Taiwan is a global powerhouse in chip manufacturing, with more than half the world's chips and nearly all of the high-end ones made there. Soaring demand for AI-related technology has fuelled its trade surplus with the United States – and put it in the crosshairs of Trump's tariff blitz. Around 60 per cent of Taiwan's exports to the United States are information and communications technology, which includes chips. To avoid the punitive tariffs, Taipei has pledged to increase investment in the United States, buy more of its energy and increase its own defence spending. While Washington does not recognise Taiwan as a country, it is the democratic island's most important backer and biggest arms supplier. Taiwan "will continue to actively negotiate with the United States to reach an agreement and promote Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation", the cabinet in Taipei said Friday. Trump in April imposed a 10 per cent tariff on almost all US trading partners, while announcing plans to eventually hike this level for dozens of countries. But days before the steeper duties were due to take effect on July 9, he pushed the deadline back to August 1. Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said recently that the government wanted a trade deal with Washington that "will benefit both sides." "The United States is indeed a very important trade partner for Taiwan," Hsiao said. Washington also "needs Taiwan in supporting resilient supply chains, in supporting manufacturing and some high-end technologies." In the weeks leading up to August 1, several economies – the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea – struck pacts with Washington, while China managed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties.--AFP
The Sun
3 minutes ago
- The Sun
American history museum removes Trump's name from impeachment exhibit
WASHINGTON: The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History has removed explicit reference to President Donald Trump from an exhibit about impeachment, a spokesperson said on Thursday. The museum in Washington D.C. made the change as part of a review that it agreed to undertake following White House pressure to remove an art museum director, the Washington Post, which first reported the removal, cited a source as saying. The spokesperson in a statement said 'a future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.' Trump signed an executive order in March calling for 'improper, divisive or anti-American ideology' to be removed from the Smithsonian - the vast museum and research institution that is a premier exhibition space for U.S. history and culture. The order raised concern of political interference at the institution as well as fear that his administration is undoing decades of social progress and undermining the acknowledgment of critical phases of American history. 'In September 2021, the museum installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump. It was intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025,' the spokesperson said in an email. The Washington Post reported the exhibit now notes that 'only three presidents have seriously faced removal.' The temporary label - which read 'Case under redesign (history happens)' - also offered information about the impeachments of former presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, as well as Richard Nixon, who would have faced impeachment had he not resigned in 1974, the newspaper reported, citing a photograph of the label. The spokesperson said that after a content review, the Smithsonian decided to restore the exhibit to how it looked in 2008. The Smithsonian receives most of its budget from the U.S. Congress but is independent of the government in decision-making. In June, Kim Sajet stepped down as director of the National Portrait Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian, after criticism from Trump. In Trump's first term in office from 2017 to 2021, he became the first president to be impeached twice - the first time over a request that Ukraine investigate former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and the second over the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. The three presidents impeached - or charged with misconduct - by the House of Representatives were acquitted by the Senate - REUTERS
