REAM, Cambodia: Cambodia’s leader Hun Manet said on Saturday (Apr 5) there was “nothing to hide” as he inaugurated a naval base renovated in recent years by China, after Washington had voiced concern over Beijing’s role in the upgrades.

The United States has said the Ream Naval Base, located off Cambodia’s southern coast, could give China a key strategic position in the Gulf of Thailand near the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

Cambodian senior officials have repeatedly denied that the base is for use by any single foreign power, following US media reports in 2022 saying that the new facilities at Ream were being built for the exclusive use of the Chinese navy.

Military representatives from various nations attended a ceremony on Saturday marking the inauguration of the renovated Ream base, with Cambodia rolling out the red carpet for a delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Prime Minister Hun Manet hailed the opening of the upgraded port at the event, where Cambodian and Chinese flags were flown.

“We hold the live inauguration today because we want both Cambodian people, and people and all forces around the world to stop casting doubt about it,” he said in a speech.

“From today Cambodia will welcome all friends to hold joint exercises in the Ream base. We have nothing to hide at all,” he added.

Hun Manet promised that the new and improved facility would not be for Beijing’s “exclusive” use and that ships from other countries would be allowed to dock.

MANILA: The Philippines expressed alarm on Saturday (Apr 5) over the arrest of three Filipinos in China on suspicion of espionage, saying they were ordinary citizens and the arrests could be retaliation for Manila’s crackdown against alleged Chinese spies.

Chinese authorities arrested the Filipinos and accused them of working for the Philippine intelligence agency to gather classified information on its military, the state-run China Daily reported earlier this week, citing state security officials. It said the three had confessed to the crime.

The Philippines’ National Security Council disputed Beijing’s accusations, saying the three were former recipients of a government scholarship programme created under an agreement between the southern Chinese province of Hainan and the western Philippine province of Palawan.

“They are ordinary Filipino citizens with no military training who merely went to China at the invitation of the Chinese government to study,” National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

“They are law-abiding citizens with no criminal records and were vetted and screened by the Chinese government prior to their arrival there,” he added.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours.

Hainan and Palawan both face the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where the two countries have staked out overlapping claims and have clashed frequently over the past two years. 

“The arrests can be seen as a retaliation for the series of legitimate arrests of Chinese agents and accomplices by Philippine law enforcement,” Malaya said.

Philippine authorities have arrested at least a dozen Chinese nationals in the last three months on suspicion of espionage, accusing them of illegally obtaining sensitive information on military camps and critical infrastructure that could undermine Manila’s national security and defence. 

China has expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled China’s claims have no basis under international law, although Beijing does not recognise that ruling.

China’s chamber of commerce representing traders in food products called on “China’s food and agricultural products import and export industry to unite and strengthen cooperation to jointly explore domestic and foreign markets”.

The metals and chemicals traders’ chamber said the tariffs “will push up the import cost for US importers and the consumption cost for consumers, exacerbate domestic inflation in the US, and increase the possibility of a US recession”.

Trump’s broadest tariffs to date took effect on Saturday, with a 10 per cent “baseline” tariff hitting most US imports except goods from Mexico and Canada.

Dozens of economies, including China, face even higher rates from Apr 9.

The US also said on Wednesday that it will end the tax exemption for packages worth less than US$800 from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, starting May 2. Those products will be subjected to a duty rate of 30 per cent of their value, or US$25 per item.

The China Express Association, on behalf of China’s postal and express delivery enterprises, expressed firm opposition to the US move to cancel duty-free treatment for low-value packages from China, according to its statement issued on Thursday.

The association said that cross-border e-commerce packages from China have helped American consumers meet their personalised consumption needs, reduce their living costs and improve their quality of life, adding that the move will harm the interests of consumers in the United States, especially families and young people, who rely on cross-border e-commerce shopping.

“We hope the United States will correct its wrong practice and take necessary measures to create a fair and predictable policy environment for the development of cross-border e-commerce and delivery,” the association said.

DIVISIONS AND MIXED SIGNALS

With European shares also tumbling to the biggest weekly losses in years, the European Union’s trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, said he held a “frank” two-hour call with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“I was clear: US tariffs are damaging, unjustified,” Sefcovic wrote on social media. “The EU’s committed to meaningful negotiations but also prepared to defend our interests.”

The EU is divided on how best to respond to Trump’s tariffs. Countries cautious about retaliating and thereby raising the stakes in the standoff with the US include Ireland, Italy, Poland and the Scandinavian nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron led the charge on Thursday by calling on companies to freeze investment in the US.

However, French Finance Minister Eric Lombard later cautioned against like-for-like countermeasures on the US tariffs, warning this would also rebound on European consumers.

The US tariffs could jack up the price for US shoppers of everything from bananas to running shoes to Apple’s iPhone. A high-end iPhone could cost nearly US$2,300 if Apple passes the costs on to consumers, based on projections from Rosenblatt Securities.

China is retaliating for Trump’s tariffs on imports from the world’s No 2 economy. The European Union faces a 20 per cent duty.

Trump says “reciprocal” tariffs are a response to barriers put on US goods, while administration officials said the tariffs would create manufacturing jobs at home and open up export markets abroad, although they cautioned it would take time to see results.

ELECTION PUSH

On the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, Min Aung Hlaing met with the prime ministers of Nepal, India and Thailand.

The BIMSTEC, or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, grouping also includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

The junta leader’s discussions with the Thai prime minister included disaster prevention and transnational crime, Thai officials said.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said the Thai and Malaysian foreign ministers would visit Myanmar on Saturday.

At the summit, Thai premier Paetongtarn urged the group to forge a free trade agreement and to cooperate on completing a highway connecting Thailand, Myanmar and India, the Thai government said.

In his meeting with the junta chief, India’s Modi pushed for an early restoration of the democratic process in Myanmar, including through credible and inclusive elections, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.

Before the quake, Myanmar’s junta had been pushing ahead with a plan to hold a general election in December, though critics have derided this as a sham to keep the generals in power through proxies.

“Min Aung Hlaing’s recent state visits to China and Russia have created new incentives for India to dial up its own engagement,” Singapore-based analyst Angshuman Choudhury said.

“Moreover, under Modi, India has pitched itself as a humanitarian first responder in the region – so post-earthquake disaster relief becomes an easy pivot for a direct meeting.”

WASHINGTON: The head of Taiwan’s National Security Council arrived in the United States for talks with President Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday (Apr 4), days after China’s military concluded war games around Taiwan.

Joseph Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel,” the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on Jan 20.

Earlier this week, China’s military concluded two-day war games around Taiwan in which it held long-range, live-fire drills in the East China Sea, marking an escalation of exercises around the island.

Taiwan has denounced China for holding the drills. The United States, Taiwan’s most important international supporter and main arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, condemned the latest exercises earlier this week.

Taiwan is only one area of tension between the United States and China whose ties have been tested by multiple issues such as human rights, the origins of COVID-19 and trade tariffs, including measures put in place by Trump this week.

Trump’s tariffs this week also upset Taiwan which called them unreasonable.

Trump has also been critical of Taiwan for taking US semiconductor business, saying he wants the industry to rebase to the United States. Taiwan’s top security official has said the Trump administration’s support for Taiwan remains “very strong.”

China has stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, calling him a “parasite” on Tuesday (Apr 1) in the wake of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Asia visit, during which he repeatedly criticised Beijing.

The White House and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly denounced Lai as a “separatist”. Lai, who won election last year, rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

The Associated Press was first to report China’s disapproval.

“The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed,” Trump said on social media, explaining why he was extending the deadline he set in January that was supposed to have expired on Saturday.

“We hope to continue working in good faith with China, who I understand is not very happy about our reciprocal tariffs.”

China now faces a 54 per cent tariff on goods imported into the United States after Trump announced he was hiking them by 34 per cent this week, prompting China to retaliate on Friday. Trump has said he would be willing to reduce tariffs on China to get a deal done with ByteDance to sell the app used by 170 million Americans.

Trump has said his administration was in touch with four different groups about a prospective TikTok deal. He has not identified them.

A major stumbling block to any deal for TikTok’s US business is Chinese government approval. China has not made a public commitment to allow a sale and Trump’s comments suggested renewed Chinese opposition.

“We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal,” Trump wrote on Friday.

“We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark,'” Trump added.

Congress passed the measure last year with overwhelming bipartisan support, as lawmakers cited the risk of the Chinese government exploiting TikTok to spy on Americans and carry out covert influence operations. Democratic then-President Joe Biden signed it into law.

Some lawmakers have said Trump must enforce the law, which had required TikTok to stop operating by Jan 19 unless ByteDance had completed a divestiture of the app’s US assets. Trump began his second term as president on Jan 20 and opted not to enforce it.

The Justice Department in January told Apple and Google that it would not enforce the law, which led them to restore the app for new downloads.

The new Trump order will set a mid-June deadline for a deal.

The White House-led talks on the future of TikTok are coalescing around a plan for the biggest non-Chinese investors in parent company ByteDance to increase their stakes and acquire the app’s US operations, Reuters has reported.

The plan entails spinning off a US entity for TikTok and diluting Chinese ownership in the new business to below the 20 per cent threshold required by US law, rescuing the app from a looming US ban, sources have told Reuters.

Jeff Yass’ Susquehanna International Group and Bill Ford’s General Atlantic, both of which are represented on ByteDance’s board, are leading discussions with the White House, Reuters has reported.

Walmart denied an ABC News report that it was also considering joining a group of investors in a deal for TikTok.

Title

HP 215A Black Toner Cartridge for HP Printers | Works with Printe...

Predator M.2 SSD 2TB GM7000 with DRAM Cache NVMe 1.4 2280 PCIe Ge...

Thumbnail

Price

$64.89

$140.99

More information

아마존에서 구매

아마존에서 구매

Title

HP 215A Black Toner Cartridge for HP Printers | Works with Printe...

Thumbnail

Price

$64.89

More information

아마존에서 구매

Title

Predator M.2 SSD 2TB GM7000 with DRAM Cache NVMe 1.4 2280 PCIe Ge...

Thumbnail

Price

$140.99

More information

아마존에서 구매

But President Xi Jinping likely won’t see a moderate concession on tariffs as a win.

TikTok doesn’t even operate in China, so Xi isn’t under any pressure to please American users. And state-backed media have been clear that China views this as a precedent-setting saga that could leave other companies open to US “plunder”.

TRUMP HAS DELEGITIMISED NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

Earlier, the key question was: “What will it take for Beijing to let TikTok go?” Now, we also need to worry about what it will take for Trump to let it go.

And by obfuscating the national security concerns to advance his tariff agenda, he has delegitimised them. 

While all the last-minute buyer drama spurred intrigue, it’s worth questioning if any of this will fulfil the goal of keeping American social media users safe.

A scenario where ByteDance maintains control over the algorithm may ease some data collection and spying concerns, but seems to bring us back to where we started over fears of algorithm infiltration. And punting the deadline further doesn’t address those issues, either.  

While ByteDance has been mum on the TikTok drama, its Chinese sister app, Douyin, has been in the news at home after local regulators forced the company to offer the public much more clarity on how the app recommends and moderates content. In a recently launched website, Douyin says that it does not spy on users and offered more transparency into how its algorithm tracks behaviour to serve content. 

Like the other reclaimed and rejuvenated buildings on this list, Sentul Depot in its current form retains clues to its history, from the exposed brick exterior to structural beams repurposed from old train tracks.

As for Sentul Park, it is a lush, serene green space that provides an escape from the surrounding urban landscape. Although most of it is reserved for residents of nearby condominium blocks, visitors can still explore the section that houses KLPAC, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, which is pretty expansive as it is.

Being one of the few performing arts hubs in Malaysia, there is a steady rotation of live shows happening just about every week. Check out the full schedule here.

Jalan Strachan, Sentul West, 51100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

USING A FIG LEAF OF LEGITIMACY

The latest disaster comes as the junta is again attempting to push for elections. Just a day before the earthquake, Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing confirmed plans for a December national vote and called on opposition parties to participate.

But the proposed election in Myanmar is widely seen as a face-saving strategy for both the Myanmar military and, I would argue, an international community that has done little of any significance to end the civil war. In this context, elections would allow the generals to cover their 2021 power grab with a fig leaf of legitimacy.

The entrenched civil war that was sparked by that military takeover – a coup that ended a 10-year experiment with limited democracy – derailed the military’s initial plan to return to full control of the country.

Four years of fighting a broad-based opposition that includes ethnic minority groups like the Karen National Union, Kachin Independence Army, Arakan Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, People’s Defense Force and Bamar People’s Liberation Army has taken its toll on the military.

It has lost territorial control in many regions to the myriad resistance groups. Internationally, it has become more isolated through sanctions, and its largest trading partner, China, concerned over instability on its border, has slowed investments as it tries to play all sides of the conflict.

In desperation, the generals have resorted to forced conscription for foot soldiers, while looking to Russia for arms and investment.