Huawei’s expansion in smart driving stirs competition, scrutiny
Xiaomi Corp.’s entry into the automotive sector has gained a lot of media attention. Its SU7 design is a reach, and it is projected to promote 350, 000 models this year. Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has also praised the design.
Less well-known is how Huawei Technologies Co, a foe cellphone manufacturer, has also established a strong position in China’s fiercely competitive electric car market by developing the brilliant driving software that has been integrated into the cockpits of brands like BYD Co to BMW AG.
Its intelligent moving solutions business turned a quarter of its revenue into profit last year. Huawei’s technology collects a lot of data that could eventually help the company break the holy grail of intelligent driving, not just selling cars to Chinese drivers who are highly tuned to smart driving features.
Tu Le, the leader of Detroit-based mechanical consulting firm Sino Auto Insights, said Huawei’s “background in hardware and software surely shows.” Folks I trust say it’s one of China’s best techniques. Their aggressive behavior demonstrates how crucial it is for them to be a person in this field.
Companies are reorganizing how trucks are designed and operated in the EV time. The “brains” of a car have power that goes beyond boat power, emergency driving, or park sensors. The Shanghai car show, which kicks off on Wednesday in China’s economic capital, will undoubtedly be a topic that will be on everyone’s radar this year.
However, after a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi EV late last month, Huawei and another smart generating software companies are under stress. That has sparked a resurgence of interest in the claims made about assisted driving systems and how such features are made available to consumers.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, authorities have established guidelines to discourage using advanced driver assistance systems that are” self-driving” and to motivate individuals to keep their hands on the steering wheel when using them. The new regulations could cause months-long delays in the release of future wise cockpit and driver assistance systems.
Huawei’s emphasis on maintaining control over its brilliant driving ecosystem also makes it unlikely to be able to attract customers from abroad.
National security and data protection are two issues that interfer with brilliant driving technology. According to Huawei’s reported ties to the Chinese authorities, European governments, especially the US, are now afraid of it.  ,
Fears that access or misuse of autonomous driving software could cause countries to stop or limit Huawei’s systems in imported vehicles, putting strain on the business ‘ growth ambitions as it gets started.
Huawei can continue to become a leader as long as its option improves, Tu said. Can they persuade a foreign company to use their program outside of China as the wild cards?
The Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance ( HIMA ) forms the foundation of Huawei’s strategy. End-user customers can order vehicles with Huawei’s technology through its online stores or permitted distributors using a stock floor to dealership approach. Huawei only provides the components needed to make intelligent cars available to automakers at their most basic level.
A number of the companies on display at the car show will be a part of Huawei’s alliance.
There are Aito ( along with Seres Group Co), Luxeed ( with Chery Automobile Co), Stelato ( with BAIC Motor Corp. ), and Maextro ( with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. ). In 2024, 445, 000 products were delivered under the HIMA platform, and Huawei has set an ambitious goal of 1 million units distributed across more than a few models by 2025.
Even though BYD has its own set of advanced driver-assist systems that it calls God’s Eye, Huawei Inside has also been used in the pilots of Audi’s Q6 e-tron and A8 L designs, Chongqing Changan Automobile Co’s Deepal and Avatr runs, and even BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao 8 and 5 types.  ,
According to the German automaker, BMW and Huawei are working together to create smart applications based on the Harmony operating system in 2026, while Huawei’s HiCar system, the company’s mobile application for connecting devices with vehicles, should be available on made-in-China BMW models. According to the report, roughly a quarter of BMW’s app users in China use Huawei smartphones.
Some in the industry have lamented Huawei’s dominance. Former SAIC Motor Corp. chairman Chen Hong famously declared in 2021 that he would not give the” soul” of the car to firms like Huawei. During the shareholder’s meeting that year, Chen said,” It’s unacceptable.” We must” clear the soul in our own hands,” he said.
However, resistance seems to be diminishing as a result of the winner-takes-all nature of artificial intelligence and the high entry requirements for developing a system that can compete with Huawei’s.
SAIC and the Shenzhen-based tech giant Huawei signed a strategic partnership in February, completing Huawei’s client list and bringing it into the exclusive jurisdiction of all of China’s state-owned automakers.
Huawei’s representatives declined to provide more information about the company’s philosophy and smart driving solutions.
However, Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu stated in a statement to Chinese media in September that “we’ll make the systems and make them well, and carmakers can use them directly” given that not all automakers can afford the investment in smart car technology.
” We want to create a platform where everyone who makes cars can participate,” Xu said. Carmakers and component suppliers are more than just in a simple buy-and-sell relationship under these new cooperation models. Instead, it’s a comprehensive partnership where all parties are responsible for coordinating tasks and coordinating risks and benefits.
Why a US trade deal won’t be enough for India – Asia Times
The terms of reference for the upcoming free trade agreement negotiations were finalized this month between India and the US. A comprehensive strategy is anticipated to guide the strategy, which will improve industry access, tariff reductions and non-tariff barriers, and establish a strong, integrated supply chain.  ,
Donald Trump’s” Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2 cannot be more confining for most nations, including India. The impact of Trump’s 26 % tax on India will not only negatively impact Indian exports, but it will also cast doubt on its ability to adapt rapidly to the fundamental realignment of global supply chains, which Trump’s punitive tariffs aim to necessarily change.  ,
The volume of taxes and counter-tariffs has been reduced to mere amounts as the situation evolves. Hope for a quick, US-China deal to end business disputes have almost vanished.
The 90-day delay on reciprocal taxes is a break for most countries, except for China, which is subject to a staggering 145 % income. In this ambiguous environment, no government would dare to make long-term plans. International trade is being rewritten in some ways in real-time.
Two recent events have suggested that Trump’s position has slightly cooled. He put a 90-day delay to the higher mutual tariffs on the targeted nations so they could deal with the US on April 11 and then put it on hold until China. He made the announcement on April 13 that tariff deductions for items like phones, computers, and other electronics are available in the US.
Additionally, tariffs on pharmaceuticals are a looming risk, which, if implemented, do have a near-doom effect on India’s economy. According to some estimates, India could be liable to lose about 30 % of its exports to the US alone.
India should not rejoice at the fact that China ( 145 % ), Vietnam ( 46 % ), Thailand ( 36 % ), Cambodia ( 49 % ), Indonesia ( 32 % ) and Bangladesh ( 37 % ) have been hit with higher impositions. However, India has trade opportunities and a lot of market space in the form of semiconductors and machinery, among others.
India should see the new fact being imposed by Trump as both a challenge and an option. In some ways, India is in a similar position to 1991, when the land was practically forced to open up due to diminishing foreign exchange reserves.
The new US tax regime and its battle with China offer an opportunity to reevaluate opportunities, discover weak points, and deal with its monetary policy demons.
Many Indians are unrealistically putting their hopes on a landmark Bilateral Trade Agreement ( BTA ) with the US to rescue this mess. India’s strategy to free trade agreements, while faced with an extremely mercantilist global trading system, will still be supported by its multi-vector international policy and its unwavering support for a multi-polar world.
India may now think betrayed by the US after what transpired following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attend to the US in February of this year, despite the absence of a public demonstration of dissention.
During his check-out,” Mission 500,” which aimed to double bilateral trade to US$ 500 billion by 2030, was discussed and discussed. In that regard, a determination was made to finalize the second stage of a mutually advantageous BTA by the fall of 2025.
Trump officially criticized India for being a “tariff prince” and a “big perpetrator” of trade relations just before announcing the new mutual tax government on April 2. This is in contrast to what he has been saying for a while.
India courted the US in the wake of that visit and the” Liberation Day” price announcement, signaling its commitment to US energy imports and serious defense talks with Washington.
India hastily eliminated the 6 % online advertising income and cut taxes on solar panels, luxury cars, bourbon whiskey, and a few other items in preparation for the BTA. Elon Musk’s Starlink was also suggested by India that it might be approved in India. Despite all those early concessions, India, like most other countries, continued to be subject to the reciprocal and baseline tariffs.
A trade agreement, in Trump’s opinion, is an instrument to improve self-reliance and shift the balance of trade. The US is currently pressuring India to open its politically sensitive agricultural and dairy sectors in trade negotiations.
The US and India also have a number of ticklish issues, including stringent approval standards for genetically modified products, strict licensing, and enforcement of intellectual property rights.  ,
India’s response has been more or less predictable. It will almost certainly not produce dairy and agricultural products, giving itself a bargaining chip for future negotiations. India will likely agree to increase the imports of US-made defense equipment and energy products to combat the negative trade balance.
In industries like pharmaceuticals and autos, where it already enjoys low costs and a strong manufacturing base, it might even consider 0 % tariff. Beyond this, it’s difficult to see India giving in to any more concessions.
However, India might face difficulties from rival nations that are also dealing with higher US tariffs, such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, and others. China has reacted by imposing similarly high counter-tariffs, but Vietnam has reacted by signaling it will drop all tariffs to 0 % in order to reach a trade agreement with the US.  ,
A senior Vietnamese official, who was recently on an official trip to the US, pledged to start negotiations for a free trade agreement and the purchase of US defense supplies. Additionally, he made an announcement about Vietnam’s intention to purchase$ 300 million worth of Boeing aircraft for its VietJet commercial airline. The US tariffs are undoubtedly bargaining chips.
India’s low dependence on exports of goods may seem advantageous in its negotiations with the US, but because of Vietnam’s precedent-setting commitment to 0 % tariffs on all US imports, India should be prepared for US expectations for a similar deal.
Given the length of these negotiations so far with the UK, EU, and US in particular, India should at best be cautiously optimistic about outcomes, especially given that ongoing trade talks with the US did not protect it from Trump’s high reciprocal tariffs.
As a general rule, an emerging market like India shouldn’t be concerned about a respectable trade deficit as long as it benefits from a BTA, boosts its exports, overall trade, and introduces new technologies and investments. However, India needs to be aware that a free trade agreement on its own won’t address India’s structural issues. It is entirely up to India to address them both at once.
Thus, India should take advantage of Trump’s tariff crisis as a unique opportunity to unilaterally lower global tariffs to increase competitiveness. This in turn will encourage the flow of superior foreign technologies, which will improve productivity and quality and boost national exports, especially those from emerging industries. Only then will India be able to take advantage of the opportunities Trump’s global supply chain disruptions offer.
Will India seize the opportunity, is the debatable question? Or will it once more go missing? How successfully India maneuvers the looming, negative effects of Trump’s tariffs depend not only on how quickly it negotiates a bilateral free trade agreement with the US, but also on how other nations bargain with the US over tariffs.
The key to a successful FTA with the US is to conclude, but the bigger question for India is how quickly it can increase its manufacturing capacity, adopt smart technologies, train skilled workers, construct modern logistical infrastructure, and pass progressive regulatory changes that can adapt to newly emerging global value chain alignments.
Only when global supply chains actually feed and integrate into Indian manufacturing can India count on being well-positioned to become a major global manufacturing and export hub in the upcoming years and ultimately a net-net Trump trade war winner.
Raghu Gururaj, an Indian Foreign Service officer, is a retired ambassador. He has his own opinions expressed here.
Singapore’s core inflation hits four-year low of 0.5% in March
The most recent figures from the Monetary Authority of Singapore ( MAS ) released on Wednesday ( Apr 23 ), showing that Singapore’s core inflation eased 0.5 % year-on-year in March from 0.6 % in February.  , This is the figure’s seventh consecutive prices drop, and it’s also a freshContinue Reading
No need for Nvidia: iFlytek touts reasoning model trained entirely with Huawei’s AI chips
In response to the Trump administration’s decision to halt the export of Nvidia’s H20 artificial intelligence ( AI ) chips to China, Chinese voice-recognition company iFlytek reported that training its large language models ( LLM) entirely with Huawei Technologies ‘ computing solutions has increased its growth potential.
According to a business blog post that was made available on Twitter on Monday, iFlytek claimed that its self-sufficient,” stable” Mba trained with home-grown processing power had surpassed OpenAI o1 and DeepSeek R1 in overall functionality following an upgrade.
Jail for preschool teacher who watched passively as colleague abused 2-year-old girl
A preschool teacher in Singapore was given a two-week jail term on Wednesday ( Apr 23 ), who passively watched her colleague push the two-year-old girl’s head against a table and shove her against a table.
The 29-year-old admitted to giving the sufferer a false statement that he had allowed her to suffer.  ,
Her coworker, a 30-year-old woman Singaporean, is facing six costs. Her case is pending before the judges, and it will be heard on May 5.  ,
Due to a gag order placed on the testimony and any information that may help them in finding them, all events, as well as the name of the daycare, are unable to be identified.
Ariel Tan, the defense’s deputy public prosecutor, requested a paragraph of at least two weeks in prison, while the prosecution requested a sentence with a maximum sentence of five days.  ,
District Judge James Elisha Lee delivered the word on Wednesday, stating that given their risk, the law must provide the” strongest security possible” for children.  ,
Their inability to express and express what they have been through is a contributing factor, he said,” their risk stems not just from their time, innocence, and fairly small stature, but also from their inability to do so,” he said.  ,
This makes it difficult to identify and stop any abuse that they may have been a victim of, with the result that it could remain for a very long time.
He questioned the accused’s guilt and claimed it was obvious that she had not attempted to act or inquire her colleague to quit for the duration of the abuse. She added that she had also failed to keep an eye on the victim.
She had merely quietly watched as her partner shoved the stand against the ceiling, which was a possibly dangerous shift given the murderer’s small stature, and then hit the victim on the head with the plastic dividers.
The prosecutor argued that preschool teachers have a crucial duty to care for the students as well as to inform and nurture them.
He claimed that this obligation normally extends to shielding the kids from a colleague’s physical abuse in any way.  ,
” Kids trust their kids to the preschool instructors. They rely on them fully for their children’s attention the entire time they are preschoolers, he said.  ,
” The young babies rely entirely on the faculty for care and protection because of their vulnerability.
Families should have peace of mind when placing their kids in the hands of the teachers, as it is crucial.
WHAT HAPPENED
On June 27, 2022, the event, which was captured on the preschool’s CCTV footage, occurred over a 10-minute time.  ,
The accused, a Taiwanese regional, and her coworker were in charge of overseeing a kindergarten class that the victim attended at the time.  ,
Around 10.45am that morning, the victim was confined with her back against the wall behind a chair and table as the accused entered the classroom.  ,
According to court records, the accused’s coworker had pushed the stand close to the wall to entrap the target.
Minute after, the accused spotted the victim moving beneath some orange plastic dividers and under the table.  ,
She alerted her partner and pointed to the sufferer, causing her to jump back to the table and push the girl again under it.  ,
The girl was then seated down next to her, and her partner frequently pushed the table against the wall to stop her from fleeing.  ,
The person then repeatedly shoved the table against the infant, causing her to fall between the desk and the wall as she came to her feet.  ,
According to the judge, the accused did not speak out.  ,
While reprimanding the victim, who was crying, her coworker sat over the board and the victim while holding a violet plastic gate in her hand. The accused did not take any action.  ,
The older girl bending over the board and hitting the king of the baby’s head with a violet plastic wall about five minutes later, while the sufferer was still trapped beneath the table.  ,
When her partner struck her, the accused was closer to the target and peering over the shelf to the victim, but she continued to ignore her.  ,
Her coworker used the cheap divider to reach the victim head on once more.
The accused did not intervene to defend the girl because she was conscious that her partner was about to control her because she was still entrapped beneath the table.  ,
Instead, she went over to the table and walked away without checking the girl’s well-being. She rather glanced at the target.
HOW THE ABUSE BEEN LIGHTED
After noticing wounds on her mother’s face that day, the girl’s mother wrote a message to the institution via an online platform to inquire if anything had happened. She did not, nevertheless, receive a response.  ,
The victim’s families inquired about the scars on their mother’s mouth when they brought their child to school the following morning. The accused said she would check with the other professors in reply.
The accused then called a top school teacher to remind her of the conversation she had had with the victim’s families, and shared that she believed her colleague had caused the victim’s bruises.  ,
Eventually, the older teacher informed the principal of what the accused had been told.  ,
The accused’s partner, who is accused of abusing the baby, responded to the girl’s mom via the online platform, stating that nothing had happened to the girl, according to court records.  ,
When the accused was summoned to the principal’s office for a one-on-one discussion about the victim’s event that afternoon, she informed the accused that her colleague may have struck her and that she had requested to examine the CCTV film.  ,
A senior director of the administration section of the preschool initiated internal investigations that led to the filing of a police report.  ,
The accused finally received a suspended pay until July 27, 2022, when she was then redeployed to an administrative position at the center.
The accused could have been sentenced to up to eight years in prison and/or fined up to S$ 8, 000 for knowingly permitting the maltreatment of a baby.
SAP announces new leadership: Liher Urbizu to head SAP Southeast Asia as Verena Siow takes new APAC role
- In APAC, Siow will be in charge of sky growth and corporate business development.
- Urbizu will be in charge of SAP Southeast Asia’s strategy, operations, and user success.
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Liher Urbizu has been named president and managing director for SAP Southeast Asia ( SEA ). Urbizu takes Verena Siow’s place as the Regional Business Suite Leader for SAP Asia Pacific ( APAC ), taking her new position. Both officials bring decades of experience to their positions, strengthening SAP’s continued commitment to client success and advancing its sky and AI development plan.
Urbizu will be in charge of SAP’s Southeast Asia business system, which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and emerging Indochina areas. He will concentrate on aiding local businesses in promoting the development of a modern economy that is fueled by AI, cloud, and data.
Urbizu has held a number of management positions at SAP, most just as APAC’s Chief Business Officer. He has worked for SAP for 25 years as a client, partner, and administrative. Among the significant roles are the world head of partner success service, the head of providers Asia Pacific &, Japan, the chief operating officer for Japan, and the team’s Managing Director, who led the team to several accomplishments and awards.
Urbizu stated in his remarks regarding his visit,” Southeast Asia was my career’s launchpad within the SAP ecosystem. I’m excited to return to lead this powerful market unit, which focuses on enabling our customers to use AI and SAP’s cutting-edge business software solutions to achieve tangible business results. I strongly believe that businesses of all sizes and sectors will be able to invent and prosper in the digital-first era by coordinating our technology with the region’s growth goals.
Southeast Asia is at the forefront of AI adoption, according to Simon Davies, chairman of SAP Asia Pacific. Verena Siow has made a significant contribution to SAP SEA over the past few years, and I’m confident that her remarkable leadership may help us perform our strategy and promote strong cloud momentum in the APAC region.
Urbizu’s broad leadership experience in Asia will be beneficial for the SEA team during its second phase of expansion. With a proven track record of leading high-impact clubs, Leder combines a thorough understanding of our clients ‘ evolving business needs. He will play a crucial role in accelerating our fog and AI initiatives as the new leader and managing director of Southeast Asia, making sure businesses in SEA can fully utilize SAP’s innovation to solve their most pressing company issues.
Verena Siow, who has worked for SAP for more than 13 years, leaves her position as President and Managing Director of Southeast Asia to be Regional Business Suite Leader for SAP Asia Pacific. She did lead cloud growth and corporate business development in her new position, focusing on ensuring a smooth experience for SAP’s cloud customers, from demand generation to renewals, in line with the company’s mission of delivering steady and extraordinary outcomes across all markets.
Siow remarked,” Over the past five years, the Southeast Asia team has demonstrated remarkable resilience and consistent success, anchored by our customers ‘ trust in SAP’s solutions and innovations. As SAP continues to offer the best cloud solutions of the future and expand its presence in Asia, I’m excited to bring my experience to the wider APAC region.
She continued,” I look forward to helping customers, both in Southeast Asia and across APAC, continue to accelerate innovation and add value to their transformation journeys,” she continued.
Blaze razes popular wax museum’s storage warehouse
PUBLISHED: 23 Apr 2025 at 12: 13
The Thai Human Imagery Museum’s three-storey warehouse was destroyed on Wednesday night in the Nakhon Chaisri city by flames.
Initial estimates for destruction were 10 million ringgit.
The museum features lifelike foam and glass carvings of Thai people from the past, including those of respected Buddhist monks and former kings.
Around 6.30 am, a fireplace in the inventory was reported. At least 10 flames vehicles and personnel responded. Just after a two-hour war did they finally control the flames.  ,
The three-story, 10×25-meter structure was completely destroyed.
The first floor was used to keep the materials used to create the pictures, such as glass, thinner, fuel, and other components. On the two upper decks, both granite and wax images were kept.
Employees spotted smoke coming out of the tower just in time to save about 10 pictures of respected monks from the flames.  ,
The gallery itself did not suffer any damage.
An picture of Thai prisoners on display at the museum. ( Bangkok Post )  ,
Fire guts spa complex at Chiang Mai’s Dhara Dhevi Hotel
PUBLISHED: 23 Apr 2025 at 11: 42
UPDATED: 23 Apr 2025 at 12: 13
Early on Wednesday night in the Muang area, a hearth destroyed the salon advanced at the heavily reliant Lanna-style Dhara Dhevi Hotel. No injuries were reported.
Around 2 a.m., the fire was reported. Numerous fire departments and vehicles came out.
They had to put out two days to stop the incident.  ,
The wooden resort difficult tower at the front of the hotel was destroyed by the flames. It was undergoing renovation.
In a 153-rai element, the five-star hotel is located. It was previously shut down because of economic issues. It sold at auction for 2.11 billion ringgit. The hotel’s debt burden was estimated to be$ 4. 3 billion baht.
The flames destroyed the restaurant’s two-story resort complex, according to Surin Thakerd, associate mayor for  , tambon Tha Sala. No one was present at the scene of the fireplace.
The industry and cafe areas are now back in use at the Dhara Dhevi Hotel, which was partially reopened.
Siam Estate Dhara Dhevi Co spent 3.9 billion dollars to acquire the resort. The ruined resort advanced spanned about 2, 000 flat meters. The power source had been disconnected and the system was closed.
According to a public works standard, the fire did not have an impact on local neighborhoods.
More than 3 billion ringgit was spent on the construction of the Dhara Dhevi Hotel in 2002. It opened in 2004, offering 123 host suites.
The resort has had to look for new buyers because of a number of financial problems it has encountered since its launch.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, it’s issues continued, though, forcing it to reveal a “temporary” closure.
The Dhara Dhevi Hotel salon complex’s burned-out remains. ( Photo provided )
2014 photos of the Dhara Dhevi Hotel
Ukraine path to peace narrows as Trump drive wanes – Asia Times
The chances of serenity for Ukraine remain thin after more than three years of conflict. Given Russia’s refusal to prolong a short, tense truce over Easter, there is no clear, believable path, perhaps to a stalemate. Despite the fact that the US, UK, and Ukraine have all expressed their help for this plan,
A more important issue do still exist even if the significant obstacles to a ceasefire deal may be overcome. No one of the important people in the fight appears to have a strategy for reaching an agreement that Kyiv and Moscow are likely to agree with.
Prior plans, such as a shared plan by China and Brazil in May of last year that was supported by a Chinese-led” Friends of Peace” group, mostly focused on a stalemate as a launching pad for negotiations about an exact peace agreement.
Although the specifics of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine were unspoken, this and other plans were roundly criticized by Ukraine and its eastern allies as favoring Russia. This was not an absurd position because a ceasefire would simply freeze the top lines and have a very good chance of making them lasting with or without a new peace deal.
But, what Ukraine chose to do was hardly more practical and was supported by its western allies, at least philosophically. At the time of the second” Summit on Peace in Ukraine” in Switzerland in June 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposed peace schedule was already in limbo.
There was no consensus on a follow-up meeting, and only 84 of the 100 representatives at the summit ( out of 160 invited ) supported a more nuanced version of Zelensky’s plan in their final communiqué. The Ukrainian harmony strategy was unmistakably dead in the water.
Therefore, Ukraine suggested an “internal endurance plan.” This is nothing more than a peace plan because it focuses on ensuring the nation you live a protracted attrition war with Russia.
However, it helps Kyiv’s wants to avoid a total retreat to Moscow. The commitment to supporting Kyiv is also great on the agenda for Ukraine’s Western allies, who are also on top of their goals.
It is crucial to keep Ukraine in the fight while assisting the emerging German coalition of the willing in developing its own defenses. They are susceptible to a new global order, which might split the world into US, Russian, and Taiwanese spheres of influence.
Where is the White House located?
For a vehement effort is at the heart of US President Donald Trump’s efforts, which include a deal that would offer the US privileged access to Ukrainian resources as well as a peace between Russia and Ukraine.
This deal appears to be close to being finalized after first unravelling during an incredibly content press conference held at the White House on February 28.
According to a recent suggestion from Trump’s special minister for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, the peace agreement that Trump appears to have in mind may break Ukraine into spheres of influence. Diplomats are still eluded by even a pro-Moscow deal that would grant Putin power of 20 % of Ukraine.
Given Trump’s unwillingness to put any significant pressure on Russia, the Russian president currently has some incentives to accept less than his highest demands and end a war he believes will still be able to get on the battlefield.
At times, it seems more probable that Trump will simply give up trying to put an end to the fighting in Ukraine. This would be desirable from the Soviet point of view over a ceasefire that would stop the turmoil but don’t produce a peace agreement in line with Moscow’s demands.
Even if the US midterm elections in 2026 would likely weaken Trump’s hold on power, the Kremlin’s estimate suggests that two more years will pass before the country can win more Ukrainian territory. Moscow may demand any further conquests as payment for a lawsuit if Washington then presses for a new ceasefire.
Even if Trump decides to stay in the talks right away and even if his exclusive minister Steve Witkoff ends up putting up a package, it will still look more like a stalemate than a peace deal.
Strong gulf between Ukraine and Russia
The basic reason for this is that neither Russia nor Ukraine’s positions on a satisfactory result have changed. Putin continues to support the full conquest of four of Ukraine’s regions as well as the preservation of Crimea. Zellensky has repeatedly ruled out regional concessions, and he enjoys wide support from Ukrainian in this regard.
The West’s perception that a peace deal would be nearly impossible to reach in terms that would satisfy all parties has turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are only a handful of joint attempts by Ukraine, the US, and the German coalition of the willing, with all of them focused on a functional peace.
On April 17 at a gathering of foreign ministers and senior officials in Paris, the discussion centered on sustaining for a ceasefire. Although the specifics of how this can be achieved are still unsure, the fact that there are now more equitable conversations indicates development, at least in terms of the negotiation approach.
However, their substance and whether Ukraine and Russia may finally agree on terms regarding alienation of forces, monitoring, guarantees, and enforcement mechanisms will determine whether this will actually lead to a breakthrough toward a green ceasefire.
This is already a very high table, and the table for a later peace deal is even higher. A peace is undoubtedly a prerequisite for a peace agreement in the current level of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. However, the one thing that needs to be focused on the first won’t make the former any more probable.
In addition, investing everyone in a ceasefire deal may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy for Ukraine and its followers given Russia’s history of breaking the Minsk stalemate agreements of September 2014 and February 2015.
Tetyana Malyarenko, professor of global surveillance, and Stefan Wolff, professor of global surveillance, are Jean Monnet and professor of Western security, National University Odesa Law Academy.
This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Study the article’s introduction.
Cambodia at heart of Trump’s proxy trade war on China – Asia Times
After Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Phnom Penh next month, which was disappointing for Washington, it returned the trip by renouncing its importance for international relations.
Prime Minister Hun Manet  stated that” Cambodia’s international scheme is never biased against or detached from any land.” The Royal Government of Cambodia’s official status is that” we maintain good relations with all places based on mutual respect for democracy, independence, and shared interests.” We don’t share any distinct country’s values.
Obviously, the majority of the discussion surrounding Xi’s visit was centered on Trump’s threatened tariffs, which are now halted until July. Sun Chanthol and Cham Nimul, the US Trade Representative’s member, have been holding a video seminar with Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, as of April 16.
The group hasn’t been invited to Washington for more discussions, according to the news. Making matters worse, Beijing’s business ministry announced on April 21 that it” strategically opposes any party to reaching a deal at the price of China’s interests.” Peace won’t be brought about by peace, and settlement won’t be accepted. Importantly, it stated that” China may resolutely taking mutual measures and will never accept it.”
Who knows what the Trump administration will do next in this saga, but I believe we can safely say that the White House’s full tariff strategy has been at best poorly thought out and will continue to be so. One of the few guiding principles he has maintained for years is Trump’s personal peccadillo with trade deficits.
I forgot who made the joke about the “right woke,” but Trump does seem to think of levies as compensation for America’s white working class. Some in his tent appear to be really convinced that tariffs will re-introduce manufacturing to the US in large numbers, as though all socioeconomic background rules can get rewritten by claiming they don’t exist. As likely as Brits creating an empire are, America’s prospects of reindustrialization are.
However, here is a more convincing explanation: the initial Trump administration’s trade war largely consisted of a test run. Place tariffs on China just and watch what happens in a trade war.
China then reversed its trade routes through third countries, including Cambodia, either directly through illegal” shipping,” where Chinese-made products are labeled” Made In Cambodia” and re-exported from Sihanoukville’s port, or by moving production to places like Cambodia.
Trump’s trade war, in the opinion of this writer, has expanded that test by imposing tariffs on nearly every nation in an effort to stop” transshipment” and stop Chinese goods from entering the US market through the proverbial back door. Think of tariffs as third-party restrictions against the Chinese market.
The Trump administration intends to engage in negotiations with more than 70 countries to stop China from moving goods through their borders, stop Chinese companies from locating in their territories, and stop China from importing cheap commercial goods into their economies, according to the Wall Street Journal  last month.
Take, for example, this week’s announcement that the US Commerce Department will impose taxes as high as 3, 403 % on solar cells and panels imported from Southeast Asia but primarily produced in Chinese-owned factories following a long-running situation that saw Washington establish anti-dumping and countering duties on solar items from four South Asian states next year. Some Chinese firms in Cambodia did charge the highest tariff on renewable imports.
According to Reuters , Vietnam’s business department issued a mandate on April 15 to impose a ban on the shipping of items to the US as part of its tariff-avoidance approach, despite it being announced just hours after Trump’s tax announcements on April 2.
Transshipment rates are likely to rise as China dumps more goods into Southeast Asia because America has increased tariffs to as high as 145 % and Beijing has retaliated by imposing duties of 125 % on US goods.
Thus, it appears as though we’re waging a proxy trade war, in which Beijing and Washington might punish other nations for their economic ties to one another. In Southeast Asia, Cambodia is at the center of this conflict, but it has no room to retreat.
Phnom Penh might curtail direct transshipment. As previously mentioned, Vietnam has already indicated that it will strengthen the oversight and inspection of imported goods to determine their origin.
Phnom Penh could also offer a similar commitment,  , publicly stating that it will, too, increase inspections of goods coming from China. After years of lofty promises that never materialize, whether Washington would trust the government’s promises is another question.
The most troubling aspect of Cambodia’s garment manufacturing supply chain is that it is entirely transshipment-adjacent, which is what makes the country’s economy’s foundation. Essentially, almost all cotton or cloth is imported from China, combined with other products made in Cambodian factories, and then sold to Western ( mostly American ) consumers. Additionally, a sizable portion of garment factories are Chinese-owned.
Of course, this is what many contemporary supply chains look like. However, those who want them to will perceive these things as transshipment. Washington may declare it to be transshipment if it appears to be.
Give Peter Navarro, Trump’s architect of trade wars, ear and ears. Let’s conquer Vietnam. They sell us$ 15 for every$ 1 we sell them when they promise to “we’ll go to zero tariffs,” but that doesn’t mean anything to us because it’s nontariff fraud. He claimed earlier this month that China is transshipping to Vietnam for$ 5 in order to avoid their tariffs. For this, Navarro referred to Vietnam as” a colony of communist China.”
In a conversation with Bloomberg News last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed to be addressing Southeast Asia more directly.” On our side, we want to avoid transshipment, which has been a big issue. And then, I believe they want to avoid dumping. Because of where these Chinese goods will go. If their biggest export market is shutting down, I don’t believe it will take much prodding.
The issue with Phnom Penh is that it is unable to do anything about this. It’s impossible to separate ourselves from China. Its entire export sector is built entirely on Chinese imports and investments. If you have nothing to export, why would you want zero tariffs on exports? So, if this is a proxy trade war, what is the answer to the two main antagonists ‘ ability to endure?
Trump’s entire tariff policy, as previously stated, is incredibly flawed: It simply won’t accomplish what he believes it will. Inflation and higher prices for American consumers will be what it will achieve, one of the two issues that gave Trump a close victory in November, the other being immigration.
The White House now perceives itself as being in a chickenfight with Beijing. China’s court is where the ball is. China needs to strike a deal with us. Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said last week,” We don’t need to make a deal with them.” Was it on that occasion that she was wearing a” Made in China” dress?
Washington should take note of the pandemic lessons: The Chinese Communist Party can put its citizens under far more stress and economic hardship than any American president can.
Frankly, Xi isn’t taking a flight to Washington anytime soon. That was evident when he refused to attend Trump’s inauguration. Beijing spent the majority of last year getting ready for this circumstance.
It is accurate to say that Trump is quickly destroying the American Empire ( more on that in a later article ) and that his administration is bringing former US stalwarts closer to Beijing.
Meanwhile, Trump’s approval ratings are already declining. They will drop lower as a result of a recession and rising consumer prices. The Republican Party will be considering a successor and how to return to economic normalcy as the midterm elections in late 2026 come closer to being held.
One can see why, if a nation like Cambodia is currently essentially being told by Washington and Beijing that it will face retaliatory measures if its economic policy swivels “pro-US” to avoid sanctions or “pro-China” as Beijing dumps cheaper goods, it would have a good reason to believe that China has much more staying power to inflict harm.
Xi Jinping will be in office for life, replacing Trump, who could abandon his entire tariff plan in a month.
This article was originally published on David Hutt’s Cambodia Unfiltered Substack, and it is now republished with kind permission. Subscribe to Cambodia Unfiltered right here.