Days into the new US administration, much of the world is awaiting – or fearing – just how aggressive President Donald Trump’s trade policies may be. Stocks in China fell on Wednesday after Mr Trump said he was intending to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese imports from the beginning of February, although there was also a degree of relief that this was nothing like the 60 per cent figure that he had aired during his election campaign.
How Mr Trump plans to approach the US’s relationship with Beijing is one of the key questions – and not just for those two countries, as the spillover effects on everything from international trade and supply chains to peace and security in the Asia Pacific and beyond would leave few countries untouched.
So far there have been mixed signals. On his first day in office, Mr Trump signed an executive order that allowed TikTok – seen as a Chinese company and as a national security threat by many in the US – to go back online. The app’s future in the US is still uncertain, as Mr Trump is insisting it be 50 per cent American-owned. But he spoke approvingly of the company on Tuesday, saying he thought it had won him young people’s votes in the election. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” he said.
Mr Trump also had what he called a “good” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Friday. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” he wrote in a social media post. “President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the world more peaceful and safe.”
The ideological differences that so concern Biden are less troubling to Trump, who prizes his ability to negotiate and forge firm bonds with strong leaders far more
In his inauguration speech, Mr Trump may have falsely accused China of operating the Panama Canal – “we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back”. But he also stated: “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end. And, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” That does not sound like a man who is itching to get into a conflict over the future of Taiwan, the island where some American politicians have foolishly encouraged aspirations to independence, but which China regards as a renegade province whose reunification with the mainland is inevitable.
That’s on the positive side. On the other hand, his administration is going to be packed with China hawks, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio (who was actually sanctioned twice by Beijing over his vocal criticisms in 2020), to Mr Trump’s picks for defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and national security adviser, Mike Waltz.
On Tuesday, his first full day in office, Mr Rubio convened a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral security dialogue states – the US, Japan, Australia and India. Chinese accusations that the “Quad”, as it is known, is an “Asian Nato” formed to prevent its rise will not be quelled by Mr Rubio calling China “the most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted” in his Senate confirmation hearing last week.
And lastly, no one can doubt how deeply attached Mr Trump is to the idea that tariffs can be easily deployed against any countries that have been “very, very bad to us”, as he put it on Tuesday. He was talking about the EU, but he has used far more incendiary language about China in the past.
However, Mr Xi reciprocated Mr Trump’s warm words about their phone conversation last week, calling for “a new starting point”, a sentiment reiterated by Chinese officials in the past days. And Mr Trump has reportedly said that he wants to meet the Chinese President in Beijing within his first 100 days in office. The indications are that both sides would like to strike a deal.
The ideological differences that so concern Mr Biden and hawks on both sides of the aisle in the US are less troubling to Mr Trump, who prizes his ability to negotiate and forge firm bonds with strong leaders far more. As one commentator put it: “Somewhere out there, the spirit of Richard Milhous Nixon is smiling.” Just as “only Nixon could go to China” during the Cold War, wouldn’t Mr Trump like to be the one world leader who could stop a new one heating up?
Quite apart from all it could (presumably) do to “Make America Great Again”, it could also help him gain the accolade he thinks he was wrongly denied for forging the Abraham Accords – the Nobel Peace Prize. And while Mr Trump may be surrounded by officials who urge extreme caution, the Tesla-owning “first buddy” Elon Musk sells one third of his cars in the Chinese market. So at least one person close to Mr Trump has reason to back up his faith in his own ability to reach a fabulous bargain with Mr Xi.
Some of the sticking points, however, may be of Mr Trump’s own making. It was he who initiated the trade war with China during his first term in the White House. Plenty of anti-Chinese legislation – not just tariffs – followed. The decoupling of the two economies has already begun, and it may take on a life of its own. And while the Republican Party may have been remade in Mr Trump’s image, both houses of Congress – even while controlled by the GOP – will be very sceptical of any deal, however the President spins it.
Most of us who live in South-East and East Asia will probably be hoping that the friendly words between the Chinese and US leaders, combined with Mr Trump’s non-ideological and transactional disposition, will provide us reasons for optimism. The alternatives don’t really bear thinking about.
I wouldn’t necessarily go so far as Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, but he may have spoken for many in the region on Tuesday. When asked what would happen if there was a full decoupling between the two superpowers, he responded, “If such a scenario was to arise, frankly, God help us all,” he said. “Then we are truly at the brink of a third world war.”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
HAJJAN
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Elvis
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
