SEOUL: South Korea on Tuesday (Apr 15) announced plans to invest an additional US$4.9 billion in the country’s semiconductor industry, citing “growing uncertainty” over US tariffs. “An aggressive fiscal investment plan has been devised to help local firms navigate mounting challenges in the global semiconductor race,” the finance ministry said inContinue Reading
On April 2 – which Donald Trump dubbed “Liberation Day” – the U.S. president announced massive tariff hikes on nearly all U.S. trading partners, including 32 percent rate on Taiwan. Stock markets were quick to react in the lead-up to April 9, the date that Trump’s tariffs would have goneContinue Reading
U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced the introduction of a new generation of fighter jets, designated the F-47. “The F-47 will be the most advanced, the most capable, and the most lethal aircraft ever built,” Trump boasted with his typical hyperbole. Unsurprisingly, the designation is an homage to Trump himselfContinue Reading
In an era where innovation is the currency of global leadership, the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) once embodied a vision of a tariff‐free digital economy. By eliminating tariffs on a broad array of ICT products through a zero-in/zero-out approach, the ITA helped drive down costs, boosted reinvestment in R&D, andContinue Reading
“We’re not the government of the world,” Marco Rubio told a BBC reporter at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on April 4. The U.S. Secretary of State defended a modest $2 million contribution for Myanmar, recovering from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 3,500 people. The State Department later softenedContinue Reading
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday (Apr 14) that US tariffs have the potential to disrupt the global economic order, issuing his strongest warning to date about the damage that President Donald Trump’s decisions could inflict on the world economy. But he stressed that Japan will seek commonContinue Reading
QUIET DIPLOMACY Education is another area where Singapore can play a role. The number of student visas granted to Chinese nationals in the US has dropped 50 per cent between 2019 and 2022. Singapore is well-placed to offer an alternative. An English-speaking environment, safety from racist violence and the opportunityContinue Reading
On January 20, 2025, his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a pivotal turnaround in U.S. foreign policy, paving the way for arguably the most consequential shift since the September 11, 2001, attacks. In a single stroke, Trump imposed a 90-day freeze on all aid programs. TheContinue Reading
On April 9, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a significant escalation in the ongoing trade conflict with China, raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent. Merely hours earlier, Beijing had declared its own retaliatory measure – raising tariffs on a range of U.S. goods to 84 percent, effective AprilContinue Reading
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s late March visit to Manila – his first since assuming office – has elicited firm opposition from China, leading Beijing to express strong diplomatic and military concerns. Despite Hegseth’s assurances during his Asia-Pacific tour – which also took him to Guam and Japan – thatContinue Reading
