VIF Information Alerts - 10 July 2018

Merkel Lauds China's Market Opening in Trade Rebuff to Trump
Published: Bloomberg
09 Jul 2018

German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised China for opening up to foreign investment, drawing a contrast with trade conflicts burdening both countries’ relations with the U.S. Merkel’s positive take followed a meeting on Monday in Berlin with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who presented himself as an ally in her defense of rules-based global trade. They also agreed that they want to preserve a nuclear accord with Iran that President Donald Trump has ditched.Click here to read... [2]

Trump suggests China might be interfering in US-North Korea talks
Published: Business Line
09 Jul 2018

President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that China might be seeking to derail US efforts aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, but said he was confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would uphold a pact the two agreed last month. In his first remarks about challenging diplomatic talks held at the weekend that sowed fresh doubts over North Korea’s willingness to give up its nuclear arsenal, Trump said China “may be exerting negative pressure” in reaction to punitive US tariffs on Chinese goods.Click here to read... [3]

President Trump blasts NATO allies ahead of trip, says contribution on defense not acceptable
Published: USA Today
09 Jul 2018

President Donald Trump on Monday rebuked European allies on the eve of a NATO summit, complaining that the United States spends more on collective defense than its 28 North Atlantic partners. "The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other Country. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable," Trump tweeted a day before departing on a seven-day European trip to Belgium, the United Kingdom and Finland. "While these countries have been increasing their contributions since I took office, they must do much more."Click here to read... [4]

Pompeo pushes peace talks on unannounced trip to Afghanistan
Published: Associated Press
09 Jul 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Monday to step up the Trump administration’s calls for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Flying into Kabul after visiting Vietnam, Pompeo made the appeal in meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. “The United States will support, facilitate and participate in these discussions,” Pompeo later told journalists, stressing that any talks would be “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.”Click here to read... [5]

Nepal Reviews Procedures for Indian Grant to Small-scale Projects
Published: Nepali Sansar
10 Jul 2018

In its latest move related to special aid from India, Nepal has decided to keep a close watch on procedures pertaining to Indian grants to Small Development Projects (SDPs) in Nepal. Making the norms strict, Nepali Cabinet said the government will move ahead with the projects only after the Indian Government signs all the related financing deals with the Nepali Finance Ministry. The Cabinet sought paper trail and deep scrutiny of every fund that India plans to make for small projects in Nepal.Click here to read... [6]

Myanmar negotiating with Chinese consortium on deep-sea port project in western state
Published: Xinhua
08 Jul 2018

Myanmar is negotiating with a Chinese consortium to carry out a strategic deep-sea port in Kyaukphyu, western Rakhine state, as part of the planned special economic zone (SEZ) in the region, according to a report of the official Global New Light of Myanmar Sunday. The negotiation between Myanmar's Commerce Ministry and the China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) is expected to reach an agreement soon.Click here to read... [7]