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Kamis, 14 Mei 2020

Trump says he doesn't want to talk to Xi right now, could even cut China ties - CNA

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signalled a further deterioration of his relationship with China over the novel coronavirus, saying he has no interest in speaking to President Xi Jinping right now and going so far as to suggest he could even cut ties with the world's second largest economy.

In an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Thursday (May 14), Trump said he was very disappointed with China's failure to contain the disease and that the pandemic had cast a pall over his January trade deal with Beijing, which he has previously hailed as a major achievement.

"They should have never let this happen," Trump said. "So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn't feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn't feel the same to me."

Trump's pique extended to Xi, with whom the US president has said repeatedly he has a good relationship.

"But I just - right now I don't want to speak to him," Trump said in the interview, which was taped on Wednesday.

Trump was asked about a Republican senator's suggestion that US visas be denied to Chinese students applying to study in fields related to national security, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

"There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship," he replied.

"Now, if you did, what would happen? You'd save US$500 billion," Trump said, referring to estimated US annual imports from China, which he often refers to as lost money.

The remark drew ridicule from Hu Xijin, editor in chief of China's influential Global Times tabloid, who referred to Trump's much-criticised comments last month about how COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, might be treated.

"This president once suggested COVID-19 patients inject disinfectants," Hu said on Twitter. "Remember this and you won't be surprised when he said he could cut off the whole relationship with China."

Trump and his Republican backers have accused Beijing of failing to alert the world to the severity and scope of the coronavirus outbreak, which has sparked a sharp global recession and threatened his November re-election chances.

The United States has been hardest hit by the pandemic, according to official data.

China insists it has been transparent, and amid increasingly bitter exchanges both sides have questioned the future of the trade deal.

Opponents of Trump have said that while China has much to answer for over the outbreak, he appears to be seeking to deflect attention from criticism over his response to the crisis.

'DANGEROUS BRAVADO'

Scott Kennedy of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank called Trump's remarks "dangerous bravado."

"Avoiding communication is not an effective strategy for solving a crisis that requires global cooperation. And cutting off the economic relationship would badly damage the American economy," he said.

Under Phase 1 of the trade agreement, Beijing pledged to buy at least US$200 billion in additional US goods and services over two years while Washington agreed to roll back tariffs on Chinese goods in stages.

China took some additional steps towards those goals on Thursday, buying US soybean oil for the first time in nearly two years and issued customs notices allowing imports of US barley and blueberries.

An executive from Chinese state agriculture trading house COFCO said China was set to speed up purchases of US farm goods to implement the Phase 1 deal.

The Global Times on Thursday said Beijing was seeking to compartmentalize rising tensions with Washington.

"(China) still hopes that economic and trade issues will not be politicised because that is not good for either side," it quoted Li Yong, deputy chairman of the Expert Committee of the China Association of International Trade, as saying.

While US intelligence agencies have said the coronavirus does not appear manmade or genetically modified, rejecting a theory promoted by some Trump supporters, Trump said in his interview that China should have stopped it at its source.

"Whether it came from the lab or came from the bats, it all came from China, and they should have stopped it," he said.

"It got out of control."

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2020-05-14 21:01:27Z
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Trump says doesn't want to talk to Xi right now, could even cut China ties - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump signalled a further deterioration of his relationship with China over the novel coronavirus, saying he has no interest in speaking to President Xi Jinping right now and going so far as to suggest he could even cut ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

In an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Thursday (May 14), Trump said he was very disappointed with China’s failure to contain the disease and that the pandemic had cast a pall over his January trade deal with Beijing, which he has previously hailed as a major achievement.

“They should have never let this happen,” Trump said. “So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn’t feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn’t feel the same to me.”

Trump’s pique extended to Xi, with whom the US president has said repeatedly he has a good relationship.

“But I just – right now I don’t want to speak to him,” Trump said in the interview, which was taped on Wednesday.

Trump was asked about a Republican senator’s suggestion that US visas be denied to Chinese students applying to study in fields related to national security, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

“There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship,” he replied.

“Now, if you did, what would happen? You’d save US$500 billion,” Trump said, referring to estimated US annual imports from China, which he often refers to as lost money.

The remark drew ridicule from Hu Xijin, editor in chief of China’s influential Global Times tabloid, who referred to

Trump’s much-criticised comments last month about how Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, might be treated.

“This president once suggested Covid-19 patients inject disinfectants,” Hu said on Twitter. “Remember this and you won’t be surprised when he said he could cut off the whole relationship with China. All I can say is he is beyond my imagination for a normal president.”

Trump and his Republican backers have repeatedly accused Beijing of failing to alert the world to the severity and scope of the coronavirus outbreak, which has sparked a global economic contraction and threatened his November re-election chances.

The United States has been hardest hit by the pandemic, according to official data.

China insists it has been transparent, and amid increasingly bitter exchanges both sides have questioned the future of the trade deal.

Opponents of Trump have said that while China has much to answer for over the outbreak, he appears to be seeking to deflect attention from criticism over his response to the crisis.

‘DANGEROUS BRAVADO’

Scott Kennedy of Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies think-tank called Trump’s latest remarks“dangerous bravado.”

“Avoiding communication is not an effective strategy for solving a crisis that requires global cooperation. And cutting off the economic relationship would badly damage the American economy,” he said.

Under Phase 1 of the trade agreement, Beijing pledged to buy at least US$200 billion (S$285 billion) in additional US goods and services over two years while Washington agreed to roll back tariffs on Chinese goods in stages.

Given the war of words over the pandemic, the Global Times on Thursday quoted experts as saying Beijing was seeking to compartmentalize rising tensions with Washington, and that plans for increased purchases of US agricultural products including barley, blueberries and pears reflected this.

“(China) still hopes that economic and trade issues will not be politicized because that is not good for either side,” the paper quoted Li Yong, deputy chairman of the Expert Committee of the China Association of International Trade, as saying.

“The hope is that both sides will resolve the challenges through communication rather than finger-pointing,” Yong said.

“Whether it came from the lab or came from the bats, it all came from China, and they should have stopped it,” he said.

“It got out of control.”

Trump says he doesn't want to talk to Xi Jinping as China tensions rise - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) – President Donald Trump said he doesn’t want to talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping right now and mused about eliminating the largest trading relationship in the world, with tensions high over the coronavirus outbreak.

Asked in a Fox Business Network interview whether he had spoken to Xi recently, Trump said that they have “a very good relationship” but “right now, I don’t want to speak to him. I don’t want to speak to him.”

Unprompted, he said that “we could cut off the whole relationship. If we did, what would happen? You’d save US$500 billion,” an inaccurate reference to the volume of trade between the countries.

Trump has sought to blame China for the coronavirus pandemic as public confidence in his handling of the US outbreak has sunk. There have been more than 1.3 million cases of Covid-19 in the US and at least 82,900 deaths, the most in the world.

China has reported only about 4,600 deaths from the disease.

The president and some of his allies have discussed somehow punishing Beijing for the outbreak, though any economic measures risk harm to the US, which is now in recession due to social-distancing practices adopted to curb the pandemic. “Cheap labour turned out to be very expensive,” Trump said of China.

In the interview, Trump said he’s examining Chinese companies that trade on the NYSE and Nasdaq stock exchanges but don’t follow US accounting rules. “We are looking at that very strongly,” he said, but he cautioned that it could backfire.

“Let’s say we do that, right,” Trump said. “So what are they going to do? They’re going to move their listing to London or someplace else.”

He also rejected renegotiating the so-called “phase one” trade deal he signed with Beijing in January. “We’re not going to renegotiate,” he said. The virus “was never even a subject” when the deal was signed, he said.

His re-election opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, has sought to turn the trade deal – one of Trump’s signature first-term accomplishments – into a liability by alleging the president was focused on the agreement to the exclusion of the growing coronavirus outbreak.

While Chinese purchases of US agricultural goods have recently picked up, the Global Times, a Communist Party publication, reported earlier this month that Beijing was weighing voiding or renegotiating the deal. The publication said that officials in the Chinese government were angered by US criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said Thursday that while he still suspects the outbreak may be connected to a virology lab in Wuhan, China, he said it was unlikely the Chinese deliberately unleashed the pathogen. “I think more likely it got out of control,” he said.

The president agreed with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that China is trying to steal intellectual property and beat the US to a coronavirus vaccine.

“We can stop them, they’re going to try doing it,” he said. “I mean, you can stop doing business with them, that’s one thing.” He didn’t elaborate.

Trump also threatened to replace board members of the Thrift Savings Plan, a retirement plan for federal workers, if they don’t follow through with a plan to defer shifting some of its investments into the stocks of Chinese companies.

The savings plan was scheduled to transfer roughly US$50 billion of its international fund to mirror an MSCI All Country World Index, which captures emerging markets including China.

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board was under pressure from the Trump administration and some lawmakers in Congress to delay the move.

The board said Wednesday it would delay the move “due to a meaningfully different economic environment related in large part to the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic” and the nomination of three new board members.

“You know it’s run by the Obama appointments, right?” Trump said of the savings plan. “We’re going to find out whether or not they’re going to do it very soon, and if they’re not, we’re going to replace them very quickly.”

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Trump rips into China over coronavirus, 'very disappointed' - Yahoo Singapore News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was very disappointed in China over its failure to contain the novel coronavirus, saying the worldwide pandemic cast a pall over his U.S.-China trade deal.

The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China, in December and was spreading silently as Washington and Beijing signed a Phase 1 trade deal hailed by the Republican president as a major achievement.

"I'm very disappointed in China," the Republican president said in an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox Business Network.

"They should have never let this happen. So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn't feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn't feel the same to me," Trump said.

Under the Phase 1 deal signed in January, Beijing pledged to buy at least $200 billion in additional U.S. goods and services over two years while Washington agreed to roll back tariffs in stages on Chinese goods.

A Chinese state-run newspaper has reported that some government advisers in Beijing were urging fresh talks and possibly invalidating the agreement.

Trump said again he was not interested in renegotiating.

While U.S. intelligence agencies said the virus did not appear to be manmade or genetically modified, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said early in May there is "a significant amount of evidence” the virus came from a laboratory in Wuhan.

His comments followed Trump's assertion on April 30 that he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab.

In the Fox Business interview, which was taped on Wednesday, Trump focused more on China's response to the outbreak than on its origin.

"We have a lot of information, and it's not good. Whether it came from the lab or came from the bats, it all came from China, and they should have stopped it. They could have stopped it, at the source," he said.

"It got out of control."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Alex Richardson and Steve Orlofsky)

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2020-05-14 12:20:00Z
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Countries with no Covid-19 transmission remain at risk so long as virus is circulating in world - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - So long as the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is still circulating somewhere in the world, every country and every person remains at risk.

Giving the warning on Thursday (May 14), Dr Takeshi Kasai, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) regional director for the Western Pacific, said countries looking to ease lockdown measures need to stay vigilant.

Speaking at the virtual World Economic Forum-WHO joint briefing on Covid-19 response in the Asia-Pacific, Dr Kasai said he understands that everyone is eager to move on, but the process of easing restrictions should not be rushed.

"Easing restrictions too quickly would bring on a resurgence of diseases," he said. "It needs to be done in the phases based on scientific evidence and the data on the local context in each country."

He cautioned several times during the hour-long forum: "As long as the virus is circulating in this interconnected world, and until we have safe and effective vaccines available, everyone remains at risk."

What countries and people have to do is "to find a way to live with this virus for now. And this is what we call the new normal".

With the exception of Hubei in China, this region has been spared widespread community spread of Covid-19. But the risk remains and the world body is "encouraging every country to prepare for large-scale community outbreak", he said.

When restrictions are eased, the key to controlling the virus is to ensure a well-functioning system to detect and isolate cases, and to trace and quarantine their contacts.

Countries also need to keep a close eye on the use of healthcare in the country, such as intensive care units.

Dr Kasai said the WHO is working with countries "on how to ease measures safely in a way that protects public health, prevents new waves of infections, and allows society to regain some degree of normality".

And individuals have a big role to play in this. They need to maintain healthy practices that protect not only themselves, but also their families, friends, colleagues and communities.

That, he said, is "the foundation of our ability to rebound".

"We are in this together and can only get out through this together," he added.

In reply to a question from a journalist on whether a vaccine, when available, would be distributed equitably, Dr Kasai assured that vaccines belong to everybody around the world.

"This is not something that the country which produces reserves (for its own use). It should be distributed equally," he said.

This will be possible with the pledge of US$8 billion (S$11.34 billion) by more than 50 countries earlier this month for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of ride-hailing and food delivery company Grab, and one of four speakers at the forum, said her company is looking at the logistics of delivery and "how to get vaccines to everybody".

She said: "What is really important is to partner with governments to figure out who should have those vaccines. For that, data is key."

Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin in firing line over lack of clarity on his majority in Parliament - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's already slim grip on power is showing signs of slipping after an MP from his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia appeared to desert him on Wednesday (May 13), claiming that the party is on the path to irrelevance.

This came on the same day that the Speaker confirmed that Tan Sri Muhyiddin instructed Parliament to end proceedings on Monday once the King completes his opening speech, meaning it will not hear rival and predecessor Mahathir Mohamad's no-confidence motion in the premier. Parliament will only resume on July 13.

Former education minister Maszlee Malik, who penned a scathing essay on Facebook, is supposed to be one of just 113 MPs sitting on the government bench in the federal legislature, where 112 is needed for a simple majority. But leading figures on both sides of the divide have acknowledged that "he is with Tun Mahathir".

Dr Mahathir's motion was accepted by Parliament last week, although it was unlikely to be tabled on Monday as other government and parliamentary business will take precedence. But even these matters - which were initially listed when a notice was sent out to MPs on April 17 - were cancelled on Wednesday.

In a video message late on Wednesday, Dr Mahathir, who claimed he had the backing of 113 colleagues when Mr Muhyiddin took office on March 1, challenged the legitimacy of the two-month-old Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

"He was sworn in as prime minister on the basis of having the majority support. This can be determined by the House. The truth is, there is no support for Tan Sri Muhyiddin as prime minister," the 94-year-old said.

Analysts see an increasing risk of the Muhyiddin administration collapsing the longer there is a lack of clarity on his majority.

"There is a limit to how long he can delay demonstrating his parliamentary support, otherwise doubts over whether his government is functional will grow," risk consultancy Eurasia Group's Asia director Peter Mumford told The Straits Times.

Mr Maszlee echoed in his post the same rationale put forward by Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz a fortnight ago: Their Bersatu party has a brighter future as the leading party of the Malay majority with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

The coalition - ousted in February just 21 months after ending Umno's six-decade rule since independence at the 2018 election - handed Bersatu chairman Mahathir the premiership and his Cabinet had an outsized representation from his party, which also boasted three chief ministers despite not being the largest PH component in those states.

"If Bersatu follows the same path, and mixes with those of a political culture that we once swore to fight against... is Bersatu's identity still relevant, which is to be an alternative for Malays and replace Umno?" said the Simpang Renggam MP, who last weekend also rejected the chairmanship of a government agency.

The Muhyiddin administration has dished out positions at the head of various state arms and government-linked companies to several MPs even as it seeks to quieten grumbles within PN, largely from biggest member Umno, over the spoils of victory. Umno has also been reluctant to formalise PN as a coalition, as it believes its partnership with the Islamist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) will triumph in the next election - at the expense of Bersatu and other Malay-based parties - especially if snap polls are held.

This comes on the back of Bersatu looking set to cede the Kedah chief ministership to PAS, as it did in Johor to Umno soon after Mr Muhyiddin succeeded Dr Mahathir as premier.

Datuk Seri Mukhriz lost the majority in the Kedah state assembly on Tuesday after four Bersatu assemblymen withdrew support for him. PN had allowed him to continue as Kedah chief minister with the backing of PH in the past two months as Mr Muhyiddin held out hope of reconciliation with Dr Mahathir.

But hopes of bridging the divide appear to have evaporated in recent weeks as gloves have come off for the two heavyweights.

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2020-05-14 09:37:51Z
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In another audio clip that surfaced, Dr M heard saying ‘remove me but do it lawfully’ - Yahoo News

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not mind being removed from his party position as long as it is lawfully done in accordance with the party’s constitution and regulations instead of a backdoor move to oust him. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not mind being removed from his party position as long as it is lawfully done in accordance with the party’s constitution and regulations instead of a backdoor move to oust him.

In a video that was uploaded on his Facebook page today, the Langkawi lawmaker said that even when he chaired Umno and was about to remove Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the late 90s, he still granted the latter the courtesy to attend the meeting and speak in his defence.

“And we have found many wrong-doings that have been committed in the attempt to remove me. I don’t mind being removed, but remove me according to the party’s laws and constitution. Even if you want to remove me, please invite me.

“When I chaired Umno and the Supreme Council wanted to remove Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he was invited and given the opportunity to speak during the meeting. But they don’t even want me there and allow me to speak,” said Dr Mahathir.

He also pointed out that the call for the party’s Supreme Council (MPT) to meet on May 11 before it was postponed to a later date was unlawful on multiple levels.

According to the Bersatu’s constitution, the only one authorised to call for the MPT meeting was the party’s chairman — a position held by Dr Mahathir. Party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is only authorised to call for the meeting if the chairman is unavailable, ill or is out of the country.

Furthermore, Dr Mahathir pointed out that Bersatu’s MPT is his MPT and by not inviting him and his son, the party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, the meeting is not legitimate in the eyes of the party’s constitution.

He added that the invitation letter did not state any agenda or motions of the meeting, which is also incorrect, as those invited must know and be prepared for the topics to be discussed.

“This is also a huge mistake. I believe that Muhyiddin have been infected with the Umno disease because he likes to do things without following the party constitution. For instance, he still thinks that (Datuk Seri) Hamzah (Zainuddin) is the party’s secretary-general.

“Hamzah cannot be the secretary-general. Even if he is to be appointed, according to the party’s constitution, I must approve it first. The MPT also have conditions for former Umno members joining the party.

“They must first leave Umno and be independent for a certain amount of time. They can then apply to join and if accepted and they are Bersatu members, former Umno members still cannot hold any party position,” argued Dr Mahathir.

He explained that according to the party’s constitution and previous decision, Datuk Marzuki Yahya of Penang is still the rightful secretary-general of Bersatu.

However, Muhyiddin had apparently went against the party’s constitution by removing the Dr Mahathir supporter and replacing him with Hamzah on March 26.

The video also showed past news clippings, press conferences and the party’s constitution proving Dr Mahathir’s words.

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2020-05-14 08:22:00Z
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Kamis, 14 Mei 2020

Trump says he doesn't want to talk to Xi right now, could even cut China ties - CNA

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Trump says doesn't want to talk to Xi right now, could even cut China ties - The Straits Times

‘DANGEROUS BRAVADO’

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Trump says he doesn't want to talk to Xi Jinping as China tensions rise - The Straits Times

Trump rips into China over coronavirus, 'very disappointed' - Yahoo Singapore News

Countries with no Covid-19 transmission remain at risk so long as virus is circulating in world - The Straits Times

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Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin in firing line over lack of clarity on his majority in Parliament - The Straits Times

In another audio clip that surfaced, Dr M heard saying ‘remove me but do it lawfully’ - Yahoo News