US launched 'biggest trade war in economic history', alleges China

Agencies
July 7, 2018

Washington DC, Jul 07: China has alleged the United States (US) of commencing "the biggest trade war in economic history" as both the countries slapped tariffs worth billions of dollars on each other's exports.

US' trade war with China officially began on Friday as the Trump administration imposed tariffs of USD 34 billion on Chinese imports, escalating a fight that could hurt companies and consumers in both the countries.

Chinese goods being hit by US levies include cars, computer disk drives, pump and valve parts and LEDs.

This prompted Beijing to respond with levies on US imports.

"China is forced to strike back to safeguard core national interests and the interests of its people," CNN Money quoted Chinese Commerce Ministry, as saying in a statement on Friday.

It also accused the US of resorting to "typical trade bullying."

China's retaliatory tariffs on the US goods would immediately go into effect on exports like soybeans, seafood, SUVs and crude oil.

Beijing previously issued a list of American commodities, including soybean and electric cars, worth $34 billion, which it said would be subject to 25 per cent tariffs.

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the first wave of tariffs of USD 34 billion in goods would be swiftly followed by another penalty on Chinese goods worth USD 16 billion.

The United States president went on to threaten Beijing with escalating tariffs on as much as $450 billion worth of Chinese goods.

The Trump administration has been recently slapping tariffs on other countries, claiming that the US was "being treated unfair on trade," raising grave concerns of a global trade war.

The US had announced imposition of 25 and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium respectively on three of its biggest trading partners - Canada, Mexico and the European Union on May 31.

In retaliation, the EU and Canada slapped tariffs in a tit-for-tat move.

Last month, the EU imposed tariffs on American goods worth USD 3 billion such as yachts, bourbon and motorcycles

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Agencies
March 1,2020

Washington, Mar 1: Beginning April 1, Indians wishing to immigrate to America will now have to pay an additional $50,000 for the EB-5 or the US investor visa, a media report said.

Although, this additional tax would impact all visa categories, it will predominantly create a barrier for people investing in the EB-5 visa programme, the American Bazaar daily said in the report on Friday.

In 2019, the EB-5 investor visa programme, for the first time since the 1990's, increased the minimum investment amount to $900,000.

With this increase in minimum investment, the new 5 per cent additional tax would mean that applicants would have to pay the extra $50,000, when they move money to an escrow account in the US to fulfil their application criterion.

"The changes to the tax on remittances is a reminder to Indians to carefully plan their tax position before making the move to the US," the American Bazaar quoted Mark Davies, Global Chairman, Davies & Associates LLC, as saying.

"People seeking to emigrate who do not wish to pay this tax at source and rather account for it later may wish to move their money ahead of the new rules coming into effect.

"It is possible to pre-emptively move money into an escrow account in the US until such a time as they are ready to proceed with emigration process," he added.

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News Network
July 24,2020

Kathmandu, Jul 24: At least 132 people lost their lives as a result of heavy rains triggering landslides, and flash floods in Nepal.

"132 people dead, 128 injured, 53 missing and 998 families affected due to rainfall, landslides and floods in the country as of 23rd July," Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Within the last two weeks, the Myagdi district of western Nepal was the worst affected with 27 reported deaths.

Search and rescue operations are being conducted continuously with officials and police personnel who are looking through the debris to find missing people.

Monsoon-induced disasters are common in Nepal owing to the country's mountainous topography. Hundreds have been displaced as landslides have swept away their homes. They ended up taking refuge in local schools and community centers.

Nepal's Meteorological Forecasting Division earlier last week had predicted heavy downpour across the country. The Division had warned of monsoon winds being near the low-pressure line in the Terai belt, which would consequently cause more rainfall.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

Washington, Aug 7: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) signed executive orders halting all transactions with Chinese applications TikTok and WeChat within 45 days, citing national security concerns, further escalating the tensions between Beijing and Washington.

"WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States. Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. 

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," Trump said in a statement.

Citing reasons for the ban on WeChat, the US President said that the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the US, thereby providing the CCP a mechanism to keep tabs on the Chinese citizens who may be "enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives".

"In March 2019, a researcher reportedly discovered a Chinese database containing billions of WeChat messages sent from users in not only China but also the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia. WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP. 

These risks have led other countries, including Australia and India, to begin restricting or banning the use of WeChat. The US must take aggressive action against the owner of WeChat to protect our national security," he added.

Earlier, Trump had issued an order banning TikTok as it "reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. 

TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP."
US politicians have repeatedly criticised TikTok, owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance, of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China.

The development comes as China and the US are at loggerheads on a variety of issues including Hong Kong national security law, the South China Sea, the novel coronavirus and trade.

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