Newly announced US tariffs against China is under fire
The US imposition of additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods received strong opposition from American business leaders and trade experts immediately after it was announced.
The US imposition of additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods received strong opposition from American business leaders and trade experts immediately after it was announced.
In an announcement on Monday, US President Donald Trump ordered his administration to levy 10 percent tariffs on about $200 billion worth of goods from China on Sept. 24 and to increase the rate to 25 percent in early 2019.
Trump threatened that the White House would "immediately" place tariffs on another $267 billion worth of Chinese imports if China took retaliatory action.
For American consumers, the prices of washing machines, TV sets, and seasonings would be higher, said a CNN news presenter.
Millions of American consumers will bear the brunt of these tariffs in the upcoming traditional shopping season. The government wants to pressure China, but we are clear that the additional tariffs will finally be put on our consumers," the news presenter commented.
Before the newly-announced decision, the US farmers had already been impacted by the trade war. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that soybean prices in Minnesota had fallen about one third of the amount since Trump fired the opening shots of this trade war.
The total value of sales for corns in the state was even less than one percent of that in the last year, said the newspaper.
The reckless escalation of the administration's trade war is having serious consequences for rural America, which is already suffering from the uncertainty and low commodity prices caused by the disruptions to our markets," US Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp said on her Twitter account on Monday.
The extra costs related to the high tariffs would be shouldered by the consumers, said Will Cunningham, a 2018 Democratic candidate of US House of Representatives, adding that the additional foreign tariffs meant nothing but more tax burden domestically.
Today's decision showed that the administration did not heed the numerous warnings from American consumers and businesses about rising costs and lost jobs," US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue slammed the additional tariffs, according to Voice of America (VOA).
Some American firms warned that increasing tariffs could hurt their profits, force them to downsize production, and even destroy their businesses under certain circumstances. The government was totally unaware of the consequence, they noted.
The US National Association of Chemical Distributors, in a study released this month, predicted nearly 28,000 jobs of chemical distributors and suppliers would be eliminated because of higher prices from the $200 billion round of tariffs.
Dell, Cisco, Juniper Networks and Hewlett Packard Enterprise said in a letter to the US trade representative that tariffs on networking equipment could hurt their bottom lines and lead to possible job losses, CNN reported. However, their networks and router-type products would still face tariffs.
Analysts pointed out that China had enough confidence to respond to the challenges provoked by the US.
China had a strong foreign currency reserve and taken measures to cut down debt, which was an effective tool to shield itself from global uncertainties, said Agence France-Presse.
The Wall Street Journal commented that Chinese companies in the Pearl River Delta, the center of China's manufacturing might, were accelerating their production of higher-quality products to compete against American goods.
The paper said that China had been on a mission to upgrade its output after going through a period when its export was driven by cheap and low-end products.
A commentary from the Washington Post, citing data from Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that more than three-quarters of the China-specific tariffs that Trumpimposed or proposed so far were on intermediate and capital equipment that US firms purchased, including some products for which China was the main supplier.
This meant Trump had restricted "China's sales of materials, equipment and other parts that were key to US manufacturers' supply chains", it stressed.
Source: People's Daily Online
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Signing of the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in Astana Opens a New Chapter in Kazakh-British Relations
Images | Kazakh MFA
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland David Cameron, who is in Astana with an official visit, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The discussion focused on issues of bilateral, regional and international cooperation, as well as measures to enhance the entire spectrum of Kazakh-British relationship.
Minister Nurtleu welcomed dynamic intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary contacts that have facilitated deepening of partnership in various sectors over the recent years, and reconfirmed his readiness to broaden dialogue further between the foreign ministries of two countries.
With a view to increase engagement in trade, economic and investment spheres, Kazakh Foreign Minister underlined the importance of promoting institutional mechanism of cooperation, including the Strategic Dialogue and the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Foreign Secretary Cameron noted that the UK pays great attention to developing cooperation with Kazakhstan as the key partner in Central Asia. He also expressed support for the ongoing reforms in our country and the readiness of London to deepen its ties with Astana.
An important outcome of the talks at the Foreign Ministry was the signing of the historic Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the UK that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in key sectors, such as foreign policy and security, trade and investment, protection of intellectual property, energy and raw materials partnership, transportation, environment protection and climate change, banking and financial services, employment and social policy, science and education.
According to Minister Nurtleu, "this comprehensive agreement will be a significant step in taking political, trade and investment relations between Astana and London to new horizons… We believe our strong and mutually beneficial strategic partnership will continue to strengthen in all areas, from energy to rare metals, from ecology to education."
A number of bilateral documents in the sphere of healthcare and transport as well as MoUs on opening a branch of Queen’s University Belfast in Almaty and launching Kazakh language courses at Oxford University were also concluded during the visit.
For reference: trade between Kazakhstan and the UK in 2023 reached 1.2 million US dollars (exports - 703 million, imports - 478,7 million).
There are around 600 companies and joint ventures with British capital in Kazakhstan.
The UK is among the top 10 foreign investors in Kazakhstan. Last year, Kazakhstan’s economy attracted 795 million in FDI from the UK and over 17 billion in total since 2005.
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On Official Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan to Thailand
Images | Kazakh MFA
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to Thailand upon the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the talks, sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Kazakh-Thai relations in political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
Ministers noted the similarity of positions of Kazakhstan and Thailand on key issues of the global political agenda, especially in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation and security on the Asian continent. In this context, they expressed mutual interest in continuing cooperation at such platforms as the UN, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and the Dialogue on Cooperation in Asia.
Foreign Minister Nurtleu emphasized the consistent growth of mutual interest of the two countries in the field of trade. The growth of bilateral trade turnover in the post-covid period was noted with appreciation, which reached a historical maximum of 367 million US dollars by the end of 2023.
Thailand is the largest and reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the Southeast Asian region. Over three decades of strong diplomatic relations, regular contacts between our states have paved the way for comprehensive and fruitful interaction," said Kazakh Foreign Minister.
Both sides noted the significant potential of cooperation in the sphere of agriculture and food security. They stressed the need to intensify contacts of business circles and search for the most advantageous conditions for transportation of goods between the two countries.
There is a constructive dialog between our countries, the positions of our states on many issues coincide. Kazakhstan is our key partner in Central Asia," said the Thai Foreign Minister.
Cooperation on tourism is actively developing, the number of direct flights between two countries is growing. In 2023, 172 thousand Kazakh tourists visited Thailand, which is 2.5 times higher than the figure for 2022.
Following the visit, the heads of foreign ministries signed an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand on Exemption from Visa Requirements of National Passport Holders. According to this document, citizens of the both countries can stay without a visa for up to 30 calendar days from the date of entry into each other’s territory. The Agreement will come fully valid after the parties finalize the domestic procedures.
A Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Tourism was also signed between the ministries of tourism and sports of Kazakhstan and Thailand.
Foreign Ministers noted satisfaction with the outcome of the talks and expressed confidence in further fruitful cooperation.
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Kazakh Cinema Days held in Vilnius
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The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Lithuania, with technical support of the national film studio "Kazakhfilm", organized the Kazakh Cinema Days in Vilnius dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Shaken Aimanov, the founder of Kazakh cinema, and the 90th anniversary of the film company. Representatives of the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas), diplomatic corps, mass media, Kazakh diaspora and public figures attended the screening, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
Opening the screening, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Lithuania Timur Urazaev noted the close cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries and the mutual interest of citizens in the cultural process. It was noted that the Kazakh steppe has historically been a haven for different ethnic groups, in the XIX-XX centuries having received settlers, exiles and repressed people, among whom were several thousand Lithuanians. Kazakhs have always lent a helping hand in a difficult moment, which made our society multinational and multi-confessional. It is not by chance that Astana became the venue for the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions - a unique dialogue platform in the modern world. The screening of the film "The Voice of the Steppe" very accurately conveys the essence of the historical drama characteristic of Kazakhstan.
Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Jonas Jarutis noted the positive experience of interethnic harmony in Kazakhstan and expressed gratitude to our people for helping exiled Lithuanians during the years of political repression and deportation to the Kazakh steppes.
The film "Kazakh Khanate. Golden Throne", presented to the Lithuanian audience on the second day, was filmed based on the famous novel "Nomads" by Ilyas Esenberlin and covers the events of the 15th century, when the process of formation of the first Kazakh state was actively underway. The film was screened on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the formation of the Ulus Juchi and the 5th World Nomad Games, which will be held in Astana from 8 to 14 September this year.
Lithuanian viewers were interested in the production of Kazakh cinema and received virtual access to the archives of "Kazakhfilm", reflecting the evolution of Kazakh cinema.
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