{"id":1902,"date":"2025-07-12T09:34:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T09:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1902"},"modified":"2025-07-12T09:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T09:34:42","slug":"trumps-trade-threats-loom-over-rubios-southeast-asia-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=1902","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Trade Threats Loom Over Rubio\u2019s Southeast Asia Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at an unenviable diplomatic trip in <strong>Malaysia<\/strong>, the Trump administration\u2019s <strong>U.S. <\/strong>State Department overhaul, and a new deal to allow aid into <strong>Gaza<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/world-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"world_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief newsletter-shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-world_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"World Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-world_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-world_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"world_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<p>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Malaysia this week with an unenviable job: making nice with Southeast Asian powers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2025\/jul\/11\/marco-rubio-asia-visit-trump-tariffs\">at the same time<\/a> that his boss was threatening them with punishing new tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio was in Malaysia to meet with the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-china-russia-asean-82467600bcf2b97b5729f34676ceeb2a\">two-day<\/a> regional security forum that convened high-level officials from around the world, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/asia\/asean-foreign-ministers-meeting-malaysia-mohamad-hasan-5233631\">Russia and China<\/a>. Rubio\u2019s task was clear: Make friends, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/china\/rubio-meet-chinas-wang-yi-malaysia-amid-trade-tension-2025-07-11\/\">stress<\/a> U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s commitment to the region, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/11\/us\/politics\/china-us-asia-tariffs.html\">make the case<\/a> for why Washington is a better partner than Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2025\/jul\/11\/marco-rubio-asia-visit-trump-tariffs\">many ASEAN member countries<\/a>\u2014including Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia\u2014may also soon face aggressive new U.S. tariffs, putting Rubio in an awkward position. Trump earlier this week sent a raft of letters to world leaders threatening <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/07\/09\/trump-tariff-letters-trade.html\">tough new measures<\/a>, enraging many governments and leaving others confused.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio, for his part, attempted to distance himself from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/asia\/rubios-36-hour-trip-to-asia-left-u-s-allies-wanting-more-0883720a?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgNcE2LppazgnxRRZvRHr0wu_xRzFVpx8LauvC7eAkpGnlz5W6bvQUxDUPaWu8%3D&amp;gaa_ts=687156ba&amp;gaa_sig=_1XI7tIO97jo9BCh-T0sDsS7JXRv_Eh5VXdlaCpJXaOkpdhkaK_f5R8Txm4OhKG0EJW54bGgtQXW8TxCpvIKKg%3D%3D\">trade decision-making<\/a> and framed the latest threats more positively. \u201cI would say that when all is said and done, many of the countries in Southeast Asia are going to have tariff rates that are actually better than countries in other parts of the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But his audience may not be so convinced, especially because Rubio only ultimately stayed in the region for around 36 hours\u2014a sharply truncated version of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/asia\/rubios-36-hour-trip-to-asia-left-u-s-allies-wanting-more-0883720a?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgNcE2LppazgnxRRZvRHr0wu_xRzFVpx8LauvC7eAkpGnlz5W6bvQUxDUPaWu8%3D&amp;gaa_ts=687156ba&amp;gaa_sig=_1XI7tIO97jo9BCh-T0sDsS7JXRv_Eh5VXdlaCpJXaOkpdhkaK_f5R8Txm4OhKG0EJW54bGgtQXW8TxCpvIKKg%3D%3D\">three-country tour<\/a> that was originally planned. Rubio canceled his visits to U.S. allies Japan and South Korea in order to attend White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, though he did meet with Japanese and South Korean officials while in Malaysia.<\/p>\n<p>That it was conflict in the Middle East\u2014Netanyahu\u2019s meetings in Washington focused mostly on U.S. efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza\u2014that had pulled Rubio away from his longer planned Asia trip was likely not lost on the countries in the region. And in his remarks to the gathered ASEAN foreign ministers on Thursday, Rubio tried to assuage concerns that Washington was once again being distracted from focusing on Asia by concerns in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say distraction is impossible,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThis century, and the story of the next 50 years, will largely be written here in this region.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While in Malaysia, Rubio also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2025\/07\/10\/rubio-meets-chinese-counterpart\/\">shared<\/a> a \u201cvery constructive, positive meeting,\u201d Rubio said afterward.<\/p>\n<p>When asked by a reporter whether Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would soon meet, Rubio struck an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/releases\/2025\/07\/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-the-traveling-press\/\">optimistic tone<\/a>. \u201cThe odds are high. I think both sides want to see it happen,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t have a date for you, but I think it\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>Official overhaul. <\/strong>The State Department has begun to lay off more than 1,300 employees as part of a broader\u2014and controversial\u2014agency overhaul that the Trump administration says will help eliminate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/10\/us\/politics\/state-department-mass-layoffs.html\">bureaucratic bloat<\/a> and more closely align the agency with the president\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/rubio-unveils-state-department-overhaul-to-promote-trumps-america-first-policies-1a593705?mod=article_inline\">America First<\/a>\u201d agenda. More than 1,100 civil servants and 251 foreign service officers are being impacted, according to an internal department notice seen by <em>Foreign Policy. <\/em>The State Department has a total domestic workforce of around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/10\/us\/politics\/state-department-mass-layoffs.html\">18,000 employees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will drain the bloated, bureaucratic swamp, empowering the Department from the ground up,\u201d Rubio wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/statedept.substack.com\/p\/a-new-state-department-to-meet-the\">Substack post<\/a> detailing the reorganization in April. \u201cRedundant offices will also be removed, and non-statutory programs misaligned with America\u2019s core national interests will cease to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration\u2019s overhaul has sparked fierce criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who warn that the cuts will hurt U.S. interests during a time of high geopolitical stakes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is one of the most ridiculous decisions that could possibly be made at a time when China is increasing its diplomatic footprint \u2026 Russia is continuing its years-long brutal assault of a sovereign country, and the Middle East is careening from crisis to crisis,\u201d Sen. Tim Kaine said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenTimKaine\/status\/1943667157574807862?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dire crisis.<\/strong> Israel and the European Union have reached a deal that would allow much-needed humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, where <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/10\/uk-france-migration-nuclear-weapons-deal-starmer-macron\/\">more than 57,000 people<\/a> have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/07\/10\/gaza-aid-israel-european-union\/\">severely restricts aid flows<\/a> into Gaza on claims that Hamas siphons off supplies, which the United Nations and aid agencies dispute. Since March, no fuel has been allowed into Gaza\u2014threatening humanitarian operations\u2014and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/07\/10\/gaza-aid-israel-european-union\/\">it was only in May<\/a> that Israel decided to resume the flow of a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2025\/may\/18\/gaza-israel-palestinian-bombing-war-latest-new-updates-live\">basic quantity<\/a>\u201d of food into the territory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,\u201d Kaja Kallas, the EU\u2019s top diplomat, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kajakallas\/status\/1943260266306695195\">post on X<\/a>. \u201cWe count on Israel to implement every measure agreed.\u201d EU foreign ministers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/07\/10\/gaza-aid-israel-european-union\/\">must now approve<\/a> the agreement, and then it will likely take several days to coordinate.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement comes as an Israeli strike in Gaza <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/10\/uk-france-migration-nuclear-weapons-deal-starmer-macron\/\">killed 16 civilians<\/a>\u2014including 10 children and two women\u2014who were waiting outside of a health clinic on Thursday. In just the last six weeks, the U.N. rights office has recorded about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/798-people-killed-while-receiving-aid-gaza-says-un-human-rights-office-2025-07-11\/\">800 killings<\/a> in the vicinity of aid distribution sites and convoys.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trade war. <\/strong>Trump announced on Thursday a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports starting on Aug. 1, throwing a wrench into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/09\/world\/canada\/tariffs-trump-trade-us.html\">ongoing talks<\/a> between the two countries. Canada wouldn\u2019t be the only country to face tougher U.S. measures: Trump sent <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/10\/uk-france-migration-nuclear-weapons-deal-starmer-macron\/\">many letters<\/a> to world leaders outlining new tariff levels this week, including a 50 percent tariff on Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>In his letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, which was posted to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TrumpDailyPosts\/status\/1943464707484192876\/photo\/1\">Truth Social<\/a>, Trump accused Canada of having \u201cfinancially retaliated\u201d with its own countermeasures and repeated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-canada-tariffs.html\">unsubstantiated claims<\/a> about Canada\u2019s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. If Ottawa raises its tariffs on the United States, Trump said, that value would also be added to Washington\u2019s 35 percent tariff. \u201cThese Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Carney vowed to continue talks with Washington. \u201cThroughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,\u201d he said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarkJCarney\/status\/1943517224104337722\">post on X<\/a>. \u201cWe will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Roughly how many people gathered at Thailand\u2019s Khao Kheow Open Zoo to celebrate pygmy hippo Moo Deng\u2019s first birthday on Thursday?<\/p>\n<p>(A) 6,000<br \/>(B) 12,000<br \/>(C) 18,000<br \/>(D) 24,000<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>For decades, tourists visiting Canada\u2019s Parliament have also made sure to visit a less official\u2014but no less wonderful\u2014local attraction: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/07\/10\/world\/canada\/canada-parliament-cat-colony-dead.html\">a colony of cats<\/a>. The colony, which at one point had as many as three dozen members, lived by Parliament and was cared for by a small group of volunteers. Now, that tradition is ending, as the last member of the colony has passed away. Coal, a black cat with yellow eyes, died this month after battling cancer, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Coal-a-feline-leader-from-Parliament-Hill-Coal-un-f%C3%A9lin-de-la-Colline\/100064554555305\/?checkpoint_src=any\">Facebook page<\/a> for him. \u201cHe was a feline gentleman with a heart of gold,\u201d the page said.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3>And the Answer Is\u2026<\/h3>\n<p>(B) 12,000<\/p>\n<p>The zoo is holding four days of celebrations for Moo Deng, which include a 44-pound hippo-sized cake, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/asia\/moo-deng-pygmy-hippo-birthday-viral-videos-thailand-zoo-rcna217195\">NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To take the rest of FP\u2019s weekly international news quiz, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/11\/news-quiz-trump-tariffs-kenya-protests-poland-border-restrictions-russia-bomb-ukraine\/\">click here<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/alerts\/\">sign up<\/a> to be alerted when a new one is published.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/07\/11\/rubio-southeast-asia-trump-trade-tariffs-asean\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at an unenviable diplomatic trip in Malaysia, the Trump administration\u2019s U.S. State Department overhaul, and a new deal to allow aid into Gaza. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. 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