China offers to be peacemaker in Iran-Israel war, but is unlikely to intervene

BEIJING (The Straits Times/ANN): As the conflict between Israel and Iran stretches beyond a week, China has found itself sidelined in developments that could yet have far-reaching consequences for its interests in the Middle East. While Beijing has offered itself as a peacemaker, it is unlikely to wade into the conflict directly, or to supply arms...

Tariff talks with Washington have been excellent, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Ongoing negotiations with the US over its unilateral tariffs are going very well, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic). The Prime Minister said this was conveyed by Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, who are both currently in Washington...

Trump seems to reverse course on Chinese students in US, saying he supports them

US President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Chinese students in America on Thursday and pledged to help them remain in the country after graduation, distancing himself from initiatives that his administration has announced to limit or block international students because of national security concerns. “I’ve always been strongly in favour of it. I think it’s...

Xi plays long game on US-China trade as Trump seeks quick wins

WASHINGTON: While Donald Trump hailed the outcome of trade talks in London, Xi Jinping walked away with an understated strategic gain: a negotiating process that buys China time and helps defuse the threat of more harmful tariffs and technology curbs. Shortly after two days of negotiations wrapped, Trump declared Wednesday (June 11) on social media that...

Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China

TOKYO: Japan intends to push back against any US effort to bring it into an economic bloc aligned against China because of the importance of Tokyo’s trade ties with Beijing, according to current and former Japanese government officials. Like many other countries, Japan is trying to get permanent relief from President Donald Trump’s tariffs by addressing...

Trump seeks ‘fair deal’ with China but pathway unclear

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (April 23) played up prospects of a "fair deal" on trade with China, but his top officials offered few details of how Washington might de-escalate its damaging tariff war with Beijing. Trump told reporters his country would have a "fair deal with China," adding that "everything's active" when asked...

Intel, Oracle raised concerns over US tariffs with govt, says Tengku Zafrul

KUALA LUMPUR: United States (US) tech giants Intel and Oracle have raised concerns about the impact of the United States' (US) tariffs on their operations in Malaysia, says Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. In a video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said both companies had engaged with...

China to US: ‘Market has spoken’ after tariffs spur selloff

BEIJING (Reuters): China said on Saturday "the market has spoken" in rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, and called on Washington for "equal-footed consultation" after global markets plunged in reaction to the trade levies that drew Chinese retaliation. State-run Xinhua news agency also published the Chinese government's stance, saying the U.S. should "stop using tariffs as...

Indonesia and Malaysia coordinate response to US tariffs, emphasising Asean unity

JAKARTA,(Xinhua): Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has announced that Indonesia was working closely with Malaysia to respond to new reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States. According to a press release issued by the ministry Friday, the announcement came following a series of high-level meetings between Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and senior...

Measures to help Malaysia weather Trump tariff storm being discussed, says Miti

PETALING JAYA: Key measures to help Malaysia withstand the coming global tariff storm from the United States (US) are currently under discussion, says the Investment, Trade And Industry Ministry. The ministry said among the measures being explored include possibly diversifying Malaysia’s current trade and investment interests as well as strengthening the country’s supply chains. It also said...