All posts tagged: china news

Pentagon Chief Meets Panama President

Pentagon Chief Meets Panama President

Published by Webster

Panama City: The US will take back the Panama Canal, ending China’s influence in one of the world’s most important waterways, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said today after a rare visit to the Central American nation. Marking the first visit by a US defence secretary to Panama in decades, Mr Hegseth held a closed-door meeting with Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino. He also got a close-up look of the canal as Washington reiterated its deep concern over China’s investments and involvement in and around the crucial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Following talks with Panama’s government, the Pentagon chief vowed to deepen the US military’s security cooperation with Panamanian forces. China, he said, would “not be allowed to weaponize” the canal by using Chinese firms’ commercial relationships as a guise for espionage. “Together, we (Panama and the US) will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,” Secretary Hegseth said in Panama City. Given Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric, the stakes were high for Secretary Hegseth’s visit. The new arrangement with Panama, …

Trump Raises Tariffs On China To 104%, Effective Tomorrow: White House

Trump Raises Tariffs On China To 104%, Effective Tomorrow: White House

Published by Webster

Washington: Donald Trump has followed through on his threat of “additional 50 per cent tariffs” on China starting Wednesday. The White House announced that this will make America’s new tariff on China an unprecedented 104 per cent. President Trump had given China 24 hours to roll back or “withdraw” the retaliatory 34 per cent tariff it imposed on US goods, failing which Chinese goods would be punished with 104 per cent tariffs. Beijing dared Washington to do so earlier today. Within hours Donald Trump announced it. The US used to tariff China at 10 per cent till last month, which President Trump said, “robbed and ripped off” the US economy of billions and billions of dollars. Then the US President announced his “reciprocal tariff” move – wherein the US would charge other countries roughly half the tariff that nation charged the US. For China this was an additional 34 per cent, taking Beijing’s tally to 44 per cent. Minutes after President Trump’s announcement, the White House said that the US would be charging the entire …

Trump’s Extra 50% Tariff Threat To China, Unless It Complies In 24 Hours

Trump’s Extra 50% Tariff Threat To China, Unless It Complies In 24 Hours

Published by Webster

Washington: Donald Trump has announced an additional 50 per cent tariff on China less than 48 hours after Beijing announced a tit-for-tat 34 per cent tariff on the United States, which Trump had declared two days earlier as part of his reciprocal tariff order. This now takes US’ tariff on all Chinese goods to an all-time high of 84 per cent as the US-China trade war escalates. This is over and above a 10 per cent global tariff, which the White House has said, applies to all nations worldwide, taking China’s tally of Trump’s tariffs to a staggering 94 per cent. Though President Trump gave China’s Xi Jinping a 24-hour window of opportunity to roll-back or “withdraw” the additional tariff he has imposed against the US, failing which, Chinese goods will face this revised 94 per cent tariff in total. President Trump made the announcement at around 11:30 am (US time – 9 pm India time). Citing his earlier “warning” to “tariff abuser” China, he shared a post on his social media platform Truth Social, …

US Moves Largest B-2 Stealth Bomber Fleet, 3 Aircraft Carriers To Indo-Pacific

US Moves Largest B-2 Stealth Bomber Fleet, 3 Aircraft Carriers To Indo-Pacific

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New Delhi: While the world was busy figuring out Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff move and its fallout, the United States quietly made a massive military move in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon ordered the largest-ever deployment of B-2 bombers in the Indian Ocean. Satellite images have shown at least six B-2 stealth bombers parked along the military base runway in Diego Garcia – a joint Indian Ocean military base of the US and Britain. There may be more in shelters or hangars impenetrable by satellite or radar. The United States has a total of 20 B-2 stealth bombers – the world’s most advanced military aircraft, of which six have now been deployed in the Indian Ocean Region – that’s roughly 30 per cent of its fleet, accounting for a massive strategic move. This satellite image by Planet Labs PBC shows six American B-2 bomber planes in Diego Garcia (AFP Photo) Besides this, the US has also planned to increase its aircraft carrier presence in the Indo-Pacific region from one to three – …

India Talks Of “Lessons” For Both To Remember As Ties With China Turn 75

India Talks Of “Lessons” For Both To Remember As Ties With China Turn 75

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New Delhi: As China-India ties completed 75 years today, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri spoke about the “lessons” for both nations to keep in mind as they work on new and promising beginnings at the end of seven-and-a-half decades. Here are the key highlights of the foreign secretary’s speech: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was the chief guest at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, which organised an event to celebrate 75 years of establishing India-China ties. Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong and the Indian Foreign Secretary cut a cake on the occasion before speaking about the relations between the two Asian giants. In his nearly seven-minute speech, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri highlighted the “lessons” for both nations to keep in mind in order to foster stronger ties. He began his speech by saying, “Even tough, as modern nation states, we have had only 75 years of formal ties, India and China have shared cultural and civilizational ties and people-to-people contacts going back millenia.” He spoke about significant “contributions by personalities such as Bodhidharma, Kumarajiva, Xuanzang, and …

“2000 Tons Chinese Chemical, Two Iranian Ships…” Xi Helping Khamenei Build 400 Ballistic Missiles?

“2000 Tons Chinese Chemical, Two Iranian Ships…” Xi Helping Khamenei Build 400 Ballistic Missiles?

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Last Updated:February 15, 2025, 18:35 IST Crux India The first of two vessels carrying 1,000 tons of a Chinese-made chemical that could be a key component in fuel for Iran’s military missile program has anchored outside the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Thursday, ship tracking data shows. It could be a signal that Iran’s missile production is back to business as usual after the devastating, and embarrassing, attacks by Israel on key factories last year.The ship, Golbon, left the Chinese port of Taicang three weeks ago loaded with most of a 1,000-ton shipment of sodium perchlorate, the main precursor in the production of the solid propellant that powers Iran’s mid-range conventional missiles, according to two European intelligence sources.The sodium perchlorate could allow for the production of sufficient propellant for some 260 solid rocket motors for Iran’s Kheibar Shekan missiles or 200 of the Haj Qasem ballistic missiles, according to the intelligence sources.The shipment comes as Iran has suffered a series of regional setbacks with the collective defeat suffered by its allies: the fall of …

Foreign Minister Engages US, Foreign Secretary, China: India’s Balancing Act

Foreign Minister Engages US, Foreign Secretary, China: India’s Balancing Act

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New Delhi: India’s diplomacy stands out globally for its ability to balance ties between adversaries. The latest example of this is happening this week. As foreign minister S Jaishankar touches down in New Delhi after a five-day visit to the US for Donald Trump’s inauguration, foreign secretary Vikram Misri heads to China to foster ties with Beijing. Just ten days ago, during a visit to Spain, foreign minister S Jaishankar had said India is one of the very few countries in the world that can engage both Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Iran. “This is something very, very unique. And it is unique because if you look at the world today, it is a very polarised world,” he said. Donald Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on China and even the BRICS+ countries, which India is a member of as well. China, the world’s second-largest economy, has warned that it will retaliate, should Washington actually follow through. President Trump has also targeted China over its presence in the Panama Canal and …

Donald Trump Feels The Heat From A Rising BRICS+, Threatens 100% Tariff

Donald Trump Feels The Heat From A Rising BRICS+, Threatens 100% Tariff

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Washington DC: Donald Trump has sniffed trouble brewing afar against the United States – one that may topple the US’s position as a dominant global power and end Washington’s ability to impose economic sanctions against those it deems fit for the case. The storm in question is the steadily-expanding BRICS+ grouping. Within hours of taking office as President of the United States, Donald Trump went after the BRICS+, threatening to impose 100 per cent tariffs on member countries. The reason Washington feels threatened by the grouping is because it makes the US dollar, America’s greatest weapon – one it can actually use, vulnerable. In recent times there have been reports of a possibility of the BRICS+ nations working on a common currency which would replace the US dollar for international trade. The founding members of the BRICS are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – the acronym of which is BRICS. Over the years, several other countries have become members of the bloc, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia. …