Month: September 2023

Biden Hosts Pacific Islands, With a Rising China in Mind

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President Biden hosted the leaders of 18 Pacific Island nations at the White House on Monday, the second gathering of its kind in a year and the latest illustration of a regional competition for influence between the United States and China. Speaking to the leaders at the White House on Monday, Mr. Biden invoked America’s World War II campaign against Japan in the region, and, without naming China, implied that another kind of battle was now underway. “Like our forebears during World War II, we know that a great deal…

Vietnam Reportedly Seeking Military Aid From Both Moscow and Washington

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HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM —  Military analysts say Vietnam is desperate for a new generation of powerful fighter jets and other arms, and recent news reports indicate the country could be seeking them from both the United States and Russia, although no details can be confirmed. Reuters reported Saturday that the Biden administration is in talks with Vietnam over an agreement for the largest transfer of arms between the two countries, including F-16 fighter jets. The report says the deal is still in its early stages and may not…

China gets veto over ethnic Kazakhs’ nationality applications

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Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with Beijing to set immigration curbs on ethnic Kazakh nationals of China, including the sharing of information on each others’ citizens and the potential repatriation of asylum-seekers who cross their common border, Radio Free Asia has learned. The deal, voted through the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament on Sept. 20, requires both countries to inform each other and provide details of any “violations of entry, stay or exit regulations,” Kazakhstan’s Azattyq Ruhy news agency reported. It comes as China marks 10 years of its “Belt…

Germany leads push to delay electric vehicle tariffs between EU and UK

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Receive free EU trade updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest EU trade news every morning. Germany is leading a European push to accept a British request for a delay to tariffs on electric vehicle sales between the UK and the EU, as industry warned the duties would cost billions of euros and reduce the workforce. Member state diplomats discussed the UK request for a three-year postponement, which are set to come into force in January, for the first time on Monday. Berlin received…

Biden pledges $40bn to Pacific islands as summit seeks to reassert influence

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Joe Biden has offered $40bn in economic aid to Pacific islands at a White House meeting with leaders from the region aimed at bolstering US engagement in the face of growing a growing Chinese presence. The president also announced formal US recognition of two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, at the start of the Pacific Islands Forum, two days of Washington meetings with leaders from the group’s 18 members. “The United States committed to ensuring an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, prosperous and secure. We’re committed…

The Indian dilemma for America and its allies

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Receive free The FT View updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest The FT View news every morning. No western government wants a clash with India. The country is seen as the market of the future and an essential counterweight to China. From Washington to Canberra and from Tokyo to London, Narendra Modi’s India is hailed as an important partner. But the allegations that India may have sponsored the killing of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil should not be swept under the carpet.…

US, South Korea to Boost Deterrence Against North Korean Threats

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Seoul, South Korea —  The United States and South Korea are pledging to enhance joint deterrence against growing threats from North Korea, as Washington and Seoul celebrate their seven-decadelong alliance. During an address in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday underlined the ongoing collaboration between the two allies in “real-time sharing” in North Korea’s missile warning data and countering North Korea’s malicious cyber activities, which finance Pyongyang’s massive weapon programs. The top diplomat’s remarks came as officials from the U.S. and South Korea prepare for a visit to…

US hits Chinese and Russian firms with trade restrictions over Moscow military aid

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US President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday imposed new trade restrictions on 11 Chinese and five Russian companies, accusing some of supplying components to make drones for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The Commerce Department, which oversees export policy, added a total of 28 firms, including some Finnish and German companies, to a trade blacklist, making it harder for US suppliers to ship them technology. Nine of the companies, including China’s Asia Pacific Links and Russia’s SMT-iLogic, allegedly took part in a scheme to supply the previously blacklisted Special Technology…

TSMC chip fab site in Arizona, touted last year by Joe Biden, struggles with delays and scepticism

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TSMC has pushed back production plans, blaming a lack of skilled labour in the US and calling Washington to fast-track visas for Taiwanese workers. Unions counter that the tech giant has invented the skills shortage as an excuse to hire cheaper, foreign labour. And while TSMC does not share Biden’s love for unions, hiring mostly non-union workers through outside contractors, the company is under political pressure to negotiate with unions as Biden seeks to garner their support for his re-election campaign – pressure that has only been complicated by reports…

US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms

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Washington’s National Zoo is honouring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming US government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. The “Panda Palooza” to honour their legacy as animal ambassadors and beloved Washington icons drew a reduced crowd on Saturday because of torrential rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia, according to local news reports. The weather forced the zoo to cancel some outdoor events over the weekend, but it did not deter some…