China slams US trade probe ahead of Paris talks
The Straits Times
The trade talks in France are expected to lay the groundwork for a Trump-Xi meeting later in March. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BEIJING – China on March 13 rebuked a US trade investigation into alleged overcapacity and said it reserved the right to take countermeasures, clouding the outlook for a new round of trade talks that is set to begin this weekend.
The US has no right to “unilaterally” determine whether a trading partner has “overcapacity” through its Section 301 investigation and take unilateral restrictive measures, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
China was named as one of the trading partners targeted by the US when it unveiled on March 11 investigations into excess industrial capacity and forced labour.
China is conducting an assessment of the probes and reserves the right to take all necessary measures to defend its rights and interests, the ministry said.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry on March 13 denied the forced labour allegation, calling it “a lie concocted by the US”.
The trade investigations added to the list of thorny issues that Beijing and Washington will have to hash out as they gear up for US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Beijing at the end of March to meet with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
VATICAN CITY, March 16 - Pope Leo met on Monday with an investigative journalist who alleges that a prominent Catholic organisation with ties to right-wing politicians in the U.S. and other countries covered up sexual and financial crimes, which the group firmly denies. Read more at straitstimes.com.
China urged an immediate ceasefire after deadly cross-border clashes flared. Read more at straitstimes.com.
DEBRECEN, Hungary, March 16 - Istvan Hollo, a 76-year-old supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, spends up to an hour daily on Facebook promoting the right-wing leader's messages to bolster his chances in an April 12 parliamentary election. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The two former ministers are set to return to the fold as UMNO seeks to strengthen its position ahead of upcoming state and federal elections. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The phone will debut alongside an Oppo AI Pen accessory. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MADRID, March 16 - Spain will not take part in any military mission in the Strait of Hormuz because it considers the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to be illegal, Madrid's defence and foreign affairs ministers said on Monday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Any changes would be due to logistics amid the Iran war, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
VATICAN CITY, March 16 - Pope Leo urged journalists on Monday to highlight the suffering caused by war, cautioning against news reports that risk sliding into propaganda by glorifying conflicts or serving as \"a megaphone\" to amplify the voices of those in power. Read more at straitstimes.com.
AMSTERDAM, March 16 - Dutch police are investigating an explosion that damaged an office building in Amsterdam and was claimed by the same extremist organisation which also claimed it was behind a recent blast at a Jewish school in the area, a police spokesperson said on Monday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The move has been welcomed by the “Accidental Americans” struggling with the US tax system. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The Philippines rejects a China-circulated letter questioning its Scarborough Shoal claim in the South China Sea dispute. Read more at straitstimes.com.
LONDON, March 15 - Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would not be drawn into a wider war in Iran but would work with allies including those in Europe to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz, although he acknowledged that it would not be easy. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ZURICH, March 16 - The Swiss government on Monday pressed the electorate to reject an initiative aimed at restricting the population to 10 million, which it argues will jeopardise cooperation with the European Union and damage the economy. Read more at straitstimes.com.