Chinese carriers to also halt purchases of aircraft-related equipment, parts from US firms
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim receiving China’s President Xi Jinping (centre, right) upon his arrival at the Bunga Raya VIP complex of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. Pic/AFP
China has ordered its airlines not to take any further deliveries of Boeing jets, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. This comes amid the face-off between the US and China following the Donald Trump administration’s imposition of 145 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, with Beijing hitting back with retaliatory tariffs.
Beijing has also asked that Chinese carriers halt any purchases of aircraft-related equipment and parts from US companies, sources were quoted as saying in the Bloomberg report. According to the global aerospace company, Boeing airplanes have been the mainstay of China’s civil aviation passenger and cargo transportation systems for more than 50 years.
Boeing is the largest customer of China’s aviation manufacturing industry, with more than 10,000 Boeing airplanes flying with China-made parts. According to the company, Boeing activity in China contributes more than $1.5 billion annually in direct support of China’s economy, including suppliers, joint ventures, operations, training, and research and development investment.
Probe into pharma, chips
The Trump administration has launching investigations into imports of computer chips, chip making equipment and pharmaceuticals. The Department of Commerce posted notices about the probes late Monday on the Federal Register, seeking public comment within three weeks. US President Donald Trump paused most of his biggest tariff hikes last week for 90 days, apart from those for imports from China, but said he still plans tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber, copper and computer chips.
Xi makes case for free trade
China’s President Xi Jinping is making the case for free trade as he tours Southeast Asia this week, presenting China as a source of “stability and certainty”. He arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, on Tuesday, for a three-day visit and will end his tour with a stop in Cambodia.
On Monday, he was welcomed to Hanoi with pomp and ceremony by Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong. China and Vietnam signed a series of memorandums on cooperation in supply chains and a joint railway project, and Xi also promised greater access for Vietnamese agricultural exports to China.
Trump complains
President Trump, meanwhile, complained about the Hanoi meeting, which came days after his tariffs upended global markets. “That’s a lovely meeting. Meeting like, trying to figure out, how do we screw America?” said Trump.
Harvard defies Trump’s demands, loses funding
Harvard University announced on Monday that it won’t comply with a list of demands from the Trump administration as part of its campaign against antisemitism, which could put almost $9 billion in funding at risk.
In a letter to Harvard on Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.
The Harvard University campus in Massachusetts. PIC/AP
The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks, which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters. They also pressure the university to stop recognising or funding “any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment”.
Trump hits back
The Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism said it is freezing more than $2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts to Harvard University, Fox News reported. The task force announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to the university.
Joe Biden back in focus
Former US President Joe Biden will likely return to the national stage early today (India time) to elevate concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening Social Security. The 82-year-old Democrat has avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January. That’s even as Trump frequently blames Biden for many of the nation’s problems.
Biden is expected to fight back in an early evening speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. While Biden has made a handful of public appearances recently, Tuesday’s address focuses on a critical issue.
