U.S., China stances on trade. Washington plans to send trade partners letters over the next two weeks setting new tariff rates but would also be open to extending countries’ negotiating deadlines, Trump said yesterday. At present, higher U.S. tariffs for dozens of countries are due to take effect on July 9. Meanwhile, in the wake of Washington and Beijing’s commitment to overcome recent trade tensions, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that China’s new pause on rare earth export restrictions will be reevaluated after six months.
China to lift tariffs for Africa. Beijing plans to offer zero-tariff access to its markets for fifty-three African countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a letter yesterday. Eswatini is the only African country set to be excluded from the measure, due to its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. Beijing said the tariff relief will be official after a China-Africa economic partnership deal is signed.
Air India plane crash. India’s health minister said “many people” died after a London-bound flight from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad crashed shortly after takeoff today. The Boeing plane carried 242 passengers and crew; it hit the campus of a medical college. The planemaker reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department last month to shield it from criminal responsibility in 2017 and 2018 crashes that killed 346 people.
Poland’s Tusk survives vote. Pro-European Prime Minister Donald Tusk won a parliamentary confidence vote yesterday by 243 to 210. He called the election after nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the country’s presidential election earlier this month. Poland’s president has less power than the prime minister, but can block some of their agenda. Tusk said yesterday that the presidential election does not reduce “our responsibility, our duties, or the scope of our power.”
Shift on Korean border. South Korea will stop broadcasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda across the demilitarized zone with North Korea as a measure to “build trust,” Seoul said. It had turned on the loudspeakers last year after a six-year hiatus. President-elect Lee Jae-myung is seeking more engagement with Pyongyang than former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
U.S. Mideast evacuations. The United States authorized the departure of diplomats from its embassy in Baghdad and the departure of military family members from the wider region amid concerns over tensions with Iran, unnamed U.S. officials told multiple news outlets. Israel has reportedly signaled its readiness to attack Iran, and Iran’s defense minister said yesterday that the country would respond to potential strikes by attacking U.S. bases in the region. The next round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks will occur this weekend, Oman’s foreign minister said today.
Appeal for plastics pact. Ninety-five countries issued a joint call earlier this week to finalize a treaty restricting global plastics. Negotiations on the treaty are due to restart in two months in Geneva after a planned final round of talks last year was derailed by oil-producing countries such as Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
Fulbright board resigns. All board members of the U.S. government’s Fulbright program for international education exchange resigned yesterday, saying in a memo that the Trump administration’s interference in its scholarship approval process sought to undermine the program’s “mission and mandates.” The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
