Philippine president meets US defence chief, secretary of state ahead of talks with Trump
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump travels to Scotland for golf and bilateral talks amid Epstein furor
A police officer watches a golfer tee off on a hole on the Trump Turnberry golf course ahead of the expected arrival of Donald Trump later this week in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble EDINBURGH/LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, heads to Scotland on Friday for a trip that will mix golf with politics mostly out of public view. Trump plans to visit his golf resort in Turnberry on Scotland's east coast, where he will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, before heading to his sprawling golf property 200 miles (320 km) away near Aberdeen in the west. As part of the visit, he will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt this week said the trip was intended as a "working visit that will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the historic U.S.-U.K. trade deal." The overseas travel comes as Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticized his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Singapore Vape disposal bins at 23 CCs for users to surrender e-vaporisers, without facing penalties Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Sport Training sessions at World Aquatics Masters Championships cancelled due to Sentosa's water quality issues Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly DEEPEN TIES The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm relationship, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, British and U.S. sources said. British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in Trump's rhetoric on Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, a British source said. The deteriorating situation in Gaza is also likely to come up. Starmer on Thursday said he would hold an emergency call with France and Germany over what he called the "unspeakable and indefensible" suffering and starvation being reported there, and called on Israel to allow aid to enter the Palestinian enclave. Gaza health authorities say more than 100 people have died from starvation, most of them in recent weeks. Human rights groups have said mass starvation is spreading even as tonnes of food and other supplies sit untouched just outside the territory. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the U.S. and being careful to avoid openly criticizing Trump's tariff policies. That approach helped Britain seal the first tariff-reduction deal with the U.S. in May, which reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the UK's aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Starmer is expected to press for lower steel tariffs, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough was possible during Trump's visit. Trump also is expected to meet Scottish leader John Swinney, who publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but no details have been released by either side. Trump has described Scotland as a "very special place" and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019. REUTERS
Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business Times
US-Japan trade deal hinges on fund that remains a puzzle
[WASHINGTON] The US and Japan this week reached what US President Donald Trump called the largest trade deal in history. But the lack of detail over Tokyo's pledge to set up a US$550 billion US investment fund is raising questions about the viability of an agreement that's been floated as a potential template for other major trading partners. The fund is a centrepiece of the deal announced by Trump that imposes 15 per cent tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods. While the start date and other basic elements are still unknown, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned this week that the US would monitor implementation and bump the rate up to 25 per cent if Trump is not satisfied. The two countries' leaders seem at times to be talking at cross purposes. The White House said over US$550 billion will be invested under the direction of the US, and Trump said on social media that 90 per cent of the profits will be given to America. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, on the other hand, said Japan would offer a mixture of investment, loans, and loan guarantees up to a maximum of US$550 billion. The fund will be supported by government-owned organisations Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, according to Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator on the deal, who said he also expected the private sector to be involved. Who exactly will be funding the bulk of the amount and over what time period remains unknown. In the fiscal year 2024, JBIC invested about 263 billion yen (S$2.3 billion) in North America, or roughly 0.3 per cent of the figure now being touted. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'The Japanese will finance the project and will give it to an operator and the profits will be split 90 per cent to the taxpayers of the US of America,' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Bloomberg TV after the deal was struck, citing potential examples like pharmaceutical plants or chip fabs. Ishiba on the other hand is characterising the fund as a way to support Japanese firms' investment into the US. The prime minister emphasised it will benefit both Japan and the US, and will target strategically important industries. SoftBank Group last year pledged to invest US$100 billion in the US over the next four years, while Nippon Steel announced an US$11 billion investment in US Steel's operations by 2028, following its US$14.1 billion purchase of the Pittsburgh-based producer last month. Both companies have also committed to creating significant employment in the US. Whether those figures will be considered part of the deal by the US is also unclear. 'They came to us with the idea of a Japan-US partnership, where they are going to provide equity, credit guarantees and funding for major projects in the US,' Bessent said. He added that the foreign direct investment pledge is 'all new capital.' The White House factsheet on the trade deal mentions that Japan will also buy 100 Boeing planes as well as US defence equipment worth additional billions of US dollars annually. Akazawa said both these pledges were based on existing plans by Japanese airlines and the government, respectively. 'We've explained to the US side Japan's thinking behind defence equipment purchases as part of our efforts to strengthen defence capabilities,' said Akazawa. 'But strengthening defence wasn't a topic in the trade and tariff negotiations.' Akazawa said he hoped the reduced car tariff rate would take effect as soon as possible, and that he expected the broader 15 per cent levy to be imposed from Aug 1. There has been no discussion of compliance or monitoring, he added. 'I've travelled to the US eight times,' Akazawa told reporters in Tokyo shortly after returning to Japan. 'But I don't remember discussing how we'll be implementing our agreement, or how we'll make sure it's implemented.' BLOOMBERG
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Philippines hopes to further lower tariff rate to around 15%, says ambassador to US
SINGAPORE: Manila hopes to renegotiate a trade deal it struck with the United States earlier this week that yielded a new 19 per cent tariff rate, said the ambassador of the Philippines to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez on Friday (Jul 25). 'It is clear that we can still renegotiate … The head of our trade team will probably be coming back to Washington DC to see how we can still manage to lower that,' he told CNA. 'President Trump announced that the lowest he will go is 15 per cent to any country, so we're still hoping that we will be able to break down our level of tariff to around the same figure.' Trump said on Wednesday that the US will settle on a tariff rate of 'anywhere between 15 per cent and 50 per cent' on its trading partners – more than the baseline rate of 10 per cent he had set in April. It comes as the US has made progress on deals around those numbers, with the Aug 1 deadline for negotiations looming closer. The new 19 per cent tariff imposed on the Philippines is just below the 20 per cent threatened by Trump earlier this month, but still above the 17 per cent rate he proposed in April under a plan for reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries. It matches the 19 per cent rate announced for Indonesia and bests Vietnam's slightly higher rate of 20 per cent. Singapore faces the lowest rate – 10 per cent – in Southeast Asia. This latest US-Philippines trade was announced on Tuesday following a meeting at the White House between Trump and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. DETAILS NOT 'COMPLETELY DISCLOSED' As part of the deal, Manila will open its market to Washington. Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that the Philippines will have no tariffs on American goods, but Marcos later said the zero tariffs will only be on certain products. When asked about this, Romualdez said Manila has identified several areas that cannot have zero tariff or a free flow. But he added that details of the deal have not been 'completely disclosed'. 'We are still going to be able to go over it and still go, one by one, on the deals or on the tariffs that will be given to the United States, if there's any, on certain items - like I said, mostly agricultural products. 'But as mentioned by President Marcos, automobiles are definitely one item that has already been agreed upon. We will be importing American cars to the Philippines without any tariff,' he added. The ambassador noted that Japan had earlier this week negotiated their tariff rate down from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. He pointed out that this means there is still room for negotiations. As for how this could affect his country's economic growth, Romualdez said exports to the US only account for 16 per cent of the Philippines' total exports. 'Some of our leaders in our country have already said - like other countries are doing right now - they're looking for other markets where they can export their products, which is what we are doing already right now,' Romualdez added. The US had a deficit of nearly US$5 billion with the Philippines last year on bilateral goods trade of US$23.5 billion. SECURITY COOPERATION Romualdez also noted that Trump has 'made it clear' he tried to peg the tariff rates to the Philippines' defence relations with the US. Trump had said the two Pacific allies, which will celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations next year, would also work together militarily but gave no details. Romualdez told CNA's Asia First: 'Obviously, the special relations that we have with the United States on our defence alliance is an important part of this whole equation. 'However, like I said, it is still not a completely done deal as pointed out, because we still have time to be able to look into possibilities of bringing it lower.' In terms of how Manila's security cooperation with Washington influenced the economic terms of the deal, as well as the meeting between Trump and Marcos, Romualdez noted that both countries have inked several security agreements with commercial components. 'The US Congress had just approved that an ammunition manufacturing facility will be established in the Philippines. That … will create jobs,' he said. 'This is the kind of agreement that we're looking at, that will combine both defence and economic (aspects). But we made it very clear that whatever it is, economic prosperity for the Philippines means economic security, and it will also mean more resources for us to be able to bump up or modernise our armed forces.' With the Philippines facing intense pressure from China in the contested South China Sea, Marcos has pivoted closer to the US, expanding its access to Philippine military bases. Both nations have a seven-decade-old mutual defence treaty and hold dozens of annual exercises. Romualdez also said the Philippines will continue to reach out to other countries, including China. MIGRATION CRACKDOWN As for the issue of immigration, Romualdez said its current figures show about 3,700 Filipinos were being processed for deportation. Reports have emerged of Filipinos without valid visas being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, amid Trump's push to clamp down on illegal migration. According to data from the US Department of Homeland Security, there were around 350,000 undocumented immigrants from the Philippines in the US as at 2022 - the fifth-highest number after Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Romualdez said he has met with the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 'We have agreed that any Filipino, no matter what their status – meaning to say, if they have any criminal record or whatsoever – (if) they're up for deportation, we, the Philippines, will take them to our country, rather than to a third country,' he added.
