Philippines' president to discuss tariffs in Trump meeting this month, top diplomat says
Philippine foreign minister Theresa Lazaro, in an interview during a regional summit in Malaysia, confirmed the arrangement of what will be the first meeting between Trump and Marcos, whose nations have stepped up military engagements significantly of late.
'The issue of tariffs will be discussed among others … it's also very important to us. We have already sent negotiators to discuss this issue," Lazaro told Reuters on Friday.
A White House official earlier told Reuters the meeting was set for Jul 22, while the office of Marcos said he will visit the US from Jul 20 to 22.
The Philippines is concerned over a 20 per cent tariff rate announced this week by Trump, which was increased from 17 per cent threatened in April, without explanation. The US goods trade deficit with the Philippines widened to US$4.9 billion in 2024, a 21.8 per cent increase from 2023.
The Philippines has said it remains committed to continuing negotiations, and a delegation will travel to Washington next week to pursue a trade deal.
Relations between Manila and Washington have soared under Marcos, who has pivoted closer to the US and allowed American soldiers to expand their presence at Philippine facilities. The former US colony is central to Washington's efforts to counter China's assertiveness in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan.
The United States and the Philippines have a seven-decade-old mutual defence treaty and hold dozens of annual exercises, which have included testing of a US Typhon missile system, angering China.
Marcos' overtures to the US and defiant stand on China have riled Beijing, which has repeatedly accused Manila and Washington of trying to stoke tensions.
Lazaro said negotiations on a code of conduct between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China were dragging out, and the Philippines would push for talks to finish when it becomes ASEAN chair next year. She said the code must be legally binding.
The South China Sea remains a source of friction between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, with ties between Beijing and Manila at their worst in years amid frequent confrontations that have sparked concerns they could spiral into conflict.
"It is our view that it should not be taking so long. It is important that we have to deliver," she said.
"So it is incumbent upon all of us, and actually China, to ... endeavour to finish the negotiations, the discussions. And that's supposed to be in 2026."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
LVMH in talks to offload fashion label Marc Jacobs: sources
[NEW YORK] French luxury goods group LVMH is in discussions with multiple buyers to offload its fashion label Marc Jacobs, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday (Jul 25). The Bernard Arnault-led company has been holding talks with potential buyers, including Reebok-owner Authentic Brands Group and WHP Global, the sources said, who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. Authentic Brands declined to comment on the matte,r while WHP did not immediately respond. Brookstone's owner Bluestar Alliance is also a suitor for Marc Jacobs, which could be worth around US$1 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which earlier reported the news. LVMH, Marc Jacobs and Bluestar Alliance did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the WSJ report. In 2024, Bloomberg reported that LVMH was exploring strategic options for the label with advisers after receiving interest from potential buyers, though the company denied the claim at the time. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Founded in 1984 by American designer Marc Jacobs, the luxury fashion brand is renowned for its eclectic, bold designs that blend high fashion with street style. In 1997, LVMH tapped Jacobs to lead the Louis Vuitton brand and acquired a stake in the designer's eponymous label. The Wall Street Journal said that a deal could be finalised soon, provided talks do not fall apart. LVMH has recently been offloading some of its brands to streamline its portfolio. Last year, it sold the Off-White clothing brand, founded in 2012 by the late Virgil Abloh, to the New York-based company Bluestar Alliance for an undisclosed value. Another label, Stella McCartney, earlier this year, repurchased the minority stake held by LVMH in the house she founded about five years after the luxury group bought it. McCartney, who famously does not use leather or fur, said it will continue to advise LVMH chief Arnault and the group's executive team on sustainability matters. Dealmaking in the luxury retail sector has drawn attention in Europe. Earlier this year, Prada acquired Versace from Capri Holdings, combining two iconic Italian fashion brands in a US$1.4 billion deal. LVMH's second-quarter sales, which include products such as Louis Vuitton handbags, Dior dresses and Moet & Chandon champagne, came in slightly below market expectations. The company's shares rose, with analysts pointing to hopes on the horizon as the group said it saw some signs of recovery in the key Chinese market. Deutsche Bank analyst Adam Cochrane said that while the second-quarter results were not 'stellar', there were some 'glimmers of hope'. French luxury brands have been navigating prolonged market challenges, including a downturn and the potential impact of US import tariffs. REUTERS
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Netanyahu, Trump appear to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, World News
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/CAIRO — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump appeared on Friday (July 25) to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the Palestinian militants did not want a deal. Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin. Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be "hunted down", telling reporters: "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." The remarks appeared to leave little to no room, at least in the short term, to resume negotiations for a break in the fighting, at a time when international concern is mounting over worsening hunger in war-shattered Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, announced that Paris would become the first major Western power to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Britain and Germany said they were not yet ready to do so but later joined France in calling for an immediate ceasefire. British Prime Minister Keith Starmer said his government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal. Trump dismissed Macron's move. "What he says doesn't matter," he said. "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight." Israel and the United States withdrew their delegations on Thursday from the ceasefire talks in Qatar, hours after Hamas submitted its response to a truce proposal. Sources initially said on Thursday that the Israeli withdrawal was only for consultations and did not necessarily mean the talks had reached a crisis. But Netanyahu's remarks suggested Israel's position had hardened overnight. US envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas was to blame for the impasse, and Netanyahu said Witkoff had got it right. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Facebook that the talks had been constructive, and criticised Witkoff's remarks as aimed at exerting pressure on Israel's behalf. "What we have presented — with full awareness and understanding of the complexity of the situation — we believe could lead to a deal if the enemy had the will to reach one," he said. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said there had been some progress in the latest round of talks. They said suspensions were a normal part of the process and they were committed to continuing to try to reach a ceasefire in partnership with the US. The proposed ceasefire would suspend fighting for 60 days, allow more aid into Gaza, and free some of the 50 remaining hostages held by militants in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. It has been held up by disagreement over how far Israel should withdraw its troops and the future beyond the 60 days if no permanent agreement is reached. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister in Netanyahu's coalition, welcomed Netanyahu's step, calling for a total halt of aid to Gaza and complete conquest of the enclave, adding in a post on X: "Total annihilation of Hamas, encourage emigration, [Jewish] settlement." Mass hunger International aid organisations say mass hunger has now arrived among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with stocks running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, then reopened it in May but with new restrictions. The Israeli military said on Friday it had agreed to let countries airdrop aid into Gaza. Hamas dismissed this as a stunt. "The Gaza Strip does not need flying aerobatics, it needs an open humanitarian corridor and a steady daily flow of aid trucks to save what remains of the lives of besieged, starving civilians," Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, told Reuters. Gaza medical authorities said nine more Palestinians had died over the past 24 hours from malnutrition or starvation. Dozens have died in the past few weeks as hunger worsens. [[nid:720599]] Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it, in what the Israeli foreign ministry called on Friday "a deliberate ploy to defame Israel". The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. United Nations agencies said on Friday that supplies were running out in Gaza of specialised therapeutic food to save the lives of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher also has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Hamas, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The ceasefire talks have been accompanied by continuing Israeli offensives. Palestinian health officials said Israeli airstrikes and gunfire had killed at least 21 people across the enclave on Friday, including five killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. In the city, residents carried the body of journalist Adam Abu Harbid through the streets wrapped in a white shroud, his blue flak jacket marked PRESS draped across his body. He was killed overnight in a strike on tents housing displaced people. Mahmoud Awadia, another journalist attending the funeral, said the Israelis were deliberately trying to kill reporters. Israel denies intentionally targeting journalists. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins. ALSO READ: Israel and US recall teams from Gaza truce talks, US says Hamas not showing good faith
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
NASA says 20% of workforce to depart space agency
WASHINGTON :About 20 per cent of the employees at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are set to depart the space agency, a NASA spokesperson said on Friday. Around 3,870 individuals are expected to depart, but that number may change in the coming days and weeks, the spokesperson said, adding that the remaining number of employees at the agency would be around 14,000.
