Palestinian move makes Canada deal 'hard': Trump
Donald Trump's Truth Social post came soon after Canada's announcement that it is recognising a Palestinian state. File photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump said it will be difficult to make a trade deal with Canada after the country announced it is backing Palestinian statehood.
"Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!" he wrote on Truth Social.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carney announced on Wednesday that Canada is planning to recognise a Palestinian state at a meeting of the United Nations in September.
Canada's announcement followed similar moves by France and Britain.
Israel and its closest ally, the United States, both rejected Carney's statements.
Canada and the US are working on negotiating a trade deal by August 1, the date Trump is threatening to impose a 35 percent tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Carney said on Wednesday that tariff negotiations with the Trump administration have been constructive but that the talks may not conclude by the deadline. (Reuters)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Apple's India exports to emerge unscathed from Trump tariffs
Apple's iPhone exports to the US from India will remain untouched by President Donald Trump's latest 25 per cent tariffs on the South Asian nation, for now. Advertisement The Trump administration in April exempted smartphones, computers, and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, in a major reprieve to companies such as Apple and Nvidia. Most of these electronic devices are not made in the US. India currently accounts for more than a fifth of global iPhone production and has already surpassed China to become the top supplier of the device to the US market. A higher US tariff on India – if the exemptions go – could potentially make locally assembled iPhones globally pricey compared to Apple products made in Vietnam or China. Apple has ramped up production in India over the past four years as it tries to diversify away from China in the aftermath of harsh coronavirus restrictions. The US tech giant's expansion has become the poster child for Modi's flagship 'Make in India' drive – the government has constantly used Apple's growing manufacturing in the country as an example to woo global investors including Tesla and chipmakers such as Micron Technology. A salesperson speaks to a customer at an Apple reseller store in Mumbai, India September 1, 2021. Photo: Reuters The US Commerce Department is currently probing sectors deemed vital to national security, such as semiconductors, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Until those are complete, there will be no levies on smartphone exports to the US. That includes iPhones made in India.
RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Steep tariffs slapped on Canada, Brazil and India
Steep tariffs slapped on Canada, Brazil and India Brazilians protest steep tariffs to be imposed on their country in Sao Jose dos Campos ahead of the Friday deadline. Photo: Reuters US President Donald Trump slapped steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners including Canada, Brazil, India, as he pressed ahead with plans to reorder the global economy ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline. The rates included a 35 percent duty on many goods from Canada, 50 percent for Brazil, 25 percent for India, 20 percent for Taiwan and 39 percent for Switzerland, according to a presidential executive order. The order listed higher import duty rates of 10 percent to 41 percent starting in seven days for 69 trading partners as the deadline approached. Some of them had reached tariff-reducing deals; others had no opportunity to negotiate with his administration. Trump included an exception for some goods shipped within the coming week. Goods from all other countries not listed would be subject to a 10 percent US import tax. Trump had previously said that rate might be higher. The administration also teased that more trade deals were in the pipeline as it seeks to close trade deficits and boost domestic factories. Facing a Friday deadline of his making, the Republican president has tapped emergency powers, pressured foreign leaders, and pressed ahead with trade policies that sparked a market sell-off when they were first announced in April. This time, markets had a more muted reaction. Stocks and equity futures fell modestly in Friday morning trading in Asia. Trump's order said that some trading partners, "despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgement, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters." Other details are still to come, including on the "rules of origin" that will determine what products might face even higher tariffs. Trump also said "we have made a few deals today that are excellent deals for the country," and a US official later told reporters that they were still to be announced. Trump issued a separate order for Canada that raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35 percent, from 25 percent previously, saying Canada had "failed to cooperate" in curbing illicit narcotics flows into the United States. The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump's decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30 percent on many goods to provide more time to negotiate a broader trade pact. Trump complained to reporters earlier that Canada had "been very poorly led." Canada's government did not immediately comment but it has previously disputed there being any basis for the tariffs. (Reuters)
RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Trump to build US$200m ballroom at White House
Trump to build US$200m ballroom at White House White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up an artist's conception of the US$200 million White House ballroom to be built. Photo: Reuters US President Donald Trump, who is remodelling the White House to his tastes, will build a massive ballroom for hosting official receptions, one of the largest projects at the executive mansion in over a century. Trump himself, and unspecified donors, will foot the bill for the US$200 million project, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. "For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex," she said. "There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms," the 79-year-old president and former real estate developer said of the latest bid to leave his mark on the White House. "I'm good at building things, and we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful," said Trump, assuring that the character of the original building would be preserved. The new structure will span over 8,000 square meters and have space to seat 650 people, according to Leavitt. Work on the ballroom – one of Trump's long-time ambitions – will begin in September and is expected to be completed "well before" the end of his second term in January 2029, she said. The hope is it will host grand state dinners, given in honour of foreign heads of state visiting Washington. Until now, these were generally done by erecting a huge tent on the White House grounds. A model of the ballroom presented by the government shows it will be a white building with tall windows. Its columns and front look reminiscent of the main White House building. The ballroom building will replace the East Wing, which usually houses the offices of the US first lady. Trump, who does not shy away from the gaudy, has also redone the Oval Office to splash the room in gold – from the stars surrounding the presidential seal on the ceiling, to the gold statues on the fireplace, to the mantel itself. The project is shaping up to be one of the most significant to break ground at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since renovation and expansion works undertaken by president Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the 20th century. President Harry Truman also oversaw notable construction work between 1948 and 1952, but did so without changing the external structure. Trump has said for some time that he wants to build a White House ballroom inspired by his own properties. On Thursday, he praised the newly built, lavish ballroom – named after himself – at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, one of dozens of properties owned by the Trump family. (AFP)
