Sunday

Zelenskyy warned against accepting mineral deal with the Trump administration


CC™ GlobalScope

A senior economist with the Center for Economic Strategy in Kyiv, Volodymyr Landa, has said that the Minerals Deal between the United States of America and Ukraine has gone through “multiple iterations”.

According to him, as quoted by media reports, “It’s hard to say what’s inside.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is keen to improve relations with the US President Donald Trump administration. The Ukranian leader has so far turned down America’s demand that revenue from the new joint fund is used to cover the cost of weapons deliveries provided by the Biden administration.

Recall that President Trump had announced previously that Kyiv “owes” the US $300bn (£226bn).

However, Zelenskyy maintained that America’s assistance to his country came in the form of a grant, not as a loan, with Republicans and Democrats approving it in Congress.

Zelenskyy said that going forward partnership has to be based on “parity”, and should benefit both countries.

Landa said he did not expect Kyiv to accept that previous “non-refundable military aid” was now “debt”.

“That’s not only unfair and unrealistic, but may also negatively affect the full global financial system.

“If it suddenly turns out that countries and organisations can demand payments for aid given unconditionally in previous years, it will make recipients more cautious, and could reopen difficult issues from previous decades around the world.”

Wednesday

China tells US companies it will protect rights of foreign-funded firms

CC™ PersPective

China's Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji told U.S. companies including Tesla and GE Healthcare that the country would always protect the rights of foreign-funded firms in China, including those from the United States.

China has been, is, and will be an "ideal, safe, and promising investment ground for foreign investors," Ling said at a roundtable meeting in Beijing on Sunday with more than 20 U.S.-funded companies.

The comments from Ling, also China’s deputy trade negotiator, suggest Beijing has no plans to penalise U.S. companies even as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates a tariff war with the rest of the world including China.

Citing Ling, China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Monday that it would protect the "legitimate rights and interests of foreign-funded enterprises in accordance with the law, and actively promote the resolution of foreign-funded enterprises' problems and demands."

The "abuse of tariffs on all trading partners, including China" has seriously damaged the rules-based multilateral trading system," Ling said, adding that the root of the tariff dispute "lies in the United States".

Last month, President Xi Jinping urged a gathering of multinational CEOs in Beijing to protect global industry and supply chains.

Xi said foreign firms contribute one-third of China's imports and exports and have also created more than 30 million jobs, stressing their value to the world's second-biggest economy.

REUTERS