Lithuania Eyes Troops Visit Pact With Philippines, Slams China
The Baltic state aims to join in the annual flagship military exercises between the Philippines and the US, and an agreement on visiting forces may be needed so it can participate, Lithuania's Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told reporters on Wednesday as she wrapped up her trip to Manila.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Security, trade in focus as Australia PM Albanese heads to China
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leaves for Shanghai on Saturday on an official visit to China where regional security tensions and efforts to grow economic ties are likely to dominate talks. Australia's exports to China, its largest trading partner, span agriculture and energy but are dominated by iron ore, and Albanese will travel with executives from mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue and hold business events in three cities over six days. "The relationship in China means jobs in Australia, it's as simple as that," Albanese told reporters on Friday. Albanese's second visit to Beijing, where he will meet President Xi Jinping, comes after Canberra stepped up screening of Chinese investment in critical minerals and as U.S. President Donald Trump rattles the global economy with sweeping import tariffs. Albanese is yet to meet Trump, after scheduled talks at the G7 were cancelled when the U.S. president left early. The United States, Australia's major security ally, is reviewing the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership amid concern selling submarines to Australia could weaken U.S. deterrence to China. Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned in a speech in Malaysia on Thursday that China continues to project military power regionally with an objective to change the balance of power, saying Beijing's nuclear and conventional military build-up was "worrying". AUKUS contributed to "collective deterrence in our region," she said. Richard Maude, an Asia Society non-resident fellow and former Australian intelligence chief, said Albanese needed to expand the economic relationship with China but also "get through the visit in a way that makes clear to Australia's close partners and to the Australian public that Australia is talking clearly and frankly to China about aspects of China's behaviour that concern us". The Chinese navy held live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand with no advance warning in February, and there have been tense encounters between Australian and Chinese military aircraft in the disputed South China Sea. While Beijing is keen to move ties forward, its proposals for cooperation on artificial intelligence, for example, have already met with a cool response, said Maude, who wrote Australia's 2017 foreign policy white paper. Australia's two-way trade with China was worth A$312 billion last year, or a quarter of all Australian trade. Ties have stabilised since 2020 when China imposed unofficial bans on A$20 billion in Australian exports. Direct engagement with Chinese leaders was important for Australia's security, Albanese told reporters on Friday. "We cooperate where we can and we disagree where we must, and we're able to have those honest conversations about some of the disagreements that are there," he said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said economic ties with China are a priority, but also complex. Australia's increased screening of Chinese investment in critical minerals, renewable energy and key infrastructure is likely to be raised by Beijing, company executives told Reuters, although on Tuesday Chalmers said Australia would not ease its scrutiny. "The government understands it is not in Australia's national interest to further increase China's stranglehold on the critical minerals supply chain," said Maude. Geoff Raby, a former Australian ambassador to China, said China would probably raise its ambition to join the 11-member regional trade pact, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which Australia chairs. "The most harmful thing is to adopt policies that force China to become more isolationist or which encourage those domestic forces in China who favour more inward-looking policies," Raby said. Albanese will meet businesses in Shanghai on Monday, before travelling to Beijing for an annual leaders' dialogue with Premier Li Qiang, and a company roundtable, and then head to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
White House Weighs First Step Toward Replacing AI Diffusion Rule
AFP via Getty Images When the White House determined it would pursue an alternative to the Biden administration's AI Diffusion Rule in May, the Commerce Department indicated that it would replace the restrictions with a 'bold, inclusive strategy.' While this new regulation has yet to emerge, the first indication that the Trump administration plans to make good on this statement has appeared, with the White House considering new restrictions on semiconductor imports to Malaysia and Thailand, according to Bloomberg. Under this potential rule, semiconductor imports to Malaysia and Thailand would be subject to the same licensing requirements as China and the over 40 other countries to which the Biden administration expanded the restrictions in 2023. The motivation for the change is not necessarily about limiting Malaysia's and Thailand's access to the advanced chip due to national security concerns, but worries about chip smuggling from these countries to China. Similar restrictions are already in place in several other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The timing for when this change could take place has yet to be confirmed, and the exact changes have also not been finalized. The update could happen as soon as later this month, but it is also possible that this timeline could be stretched out beyond that, too, especially if there are to be any changes to the planned restrictions. So far, there has not been a significant public lobbying pushback yet since the Bloomberg report, which could be a sign that few changes will be needed and the restrictions will be announced soon. The update will likely be made in the form of an interim final rule, allowing it to take effect almost immediately after being formally published. While this is far from a complete overhaul of the Biden administration's AI Diffusion Rule , if the Trump administration moves forward with these limits on Malaysia and Thailand, it would be a signal of intent that it is serious about replacing these restrictions. While this change would not offer much insight into what the new system might look like, it does show that it will likely not be a total overhaul of the current regime. The Trump administration had previously indicated that it planned for the new process to have a greater focus on bilateral deals, as reported by Bloomberg, which is much more consistent with President Trump's preferred methods of negotiating. This revision does not appear to reflect that, but it also does not preclude the possibility of the approach being further refined in the future. One crucial change expected in the restrictions targeting Malaysia and Thailand that was not in the AI Diffusion Rule is provisions to mitigate the immediate impact on companies with significant business operations in these countries that rely on semiconductor imports, such as Oracle. These include a transition period that would allow companies headquartered in the US and certain friendly nations to continue shipping the otherwise restricted chips without a license for a few months after the rule takes effect. Additionally, the regulations would include measures intended to minimize supply chain disruptions, given these countries' significant roles in the semiconductor supply chain, particularly in packaging. The reported inclusion of these business-friendly provisions may explain why the reported proposal has not sparked as much backlash from industry participants as the AI Diffusion Rule did, as covered by The Wall Street Journal.
Bloomberg
15 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Vietnam Surprised by Trump Tariff Decision, Seeks Lower Rate
By , Josh Wingrove, and Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen Updated on Save Vietnam's leadership was caught off guard by US President Donald Trump's announcement last week that it agreed to a 20% tariff, and the Southeast Asian nation is still seeking to lower the rate, according to people familiar with the matter. Straight after last Wednesday's call with Trump, Vietnam's party chief To Lam told his negotiating team to keep working to bring the tariff rate down, the people said, asking not to be identified as the talks are confidential. The 20% figure came as a surprise as Vietnam believed it had secured a more favorable tariff range, the people said.
