Chan Ye Xin Xi Wang·2025-07-08 05:28Group 1: Trade Policies and Tariffs - The U.S. President Trump announced a 25% tariff on all products imported from Japan and South Korea, effective from August 1, 2025, citing trade imbalances as a significant threat to the U.S. economy and national security [5][6][10] - Trump extended the grace period for the implementation of these tariffs until August 1, 2025, allowing for further negotiations [8][9] - Japan's Prime Minister expressed regret over the tariffs and outlined three measures to mitigate their impact, emphasizing the need for continued negotiations with the U.S. [12] Group 2: Agricultural Trade Agreements - Indonesia signed a five-year agreement to import at least 1 million tons of U.S. wheat annually, valued at approximately $1.25 billion [13][14] - This agreement is part of Indonesia's strategy to increase imports of U.S. agricultural products to avoid high tariffs imposed by the U.S. [15][17] Group 3: Artificial Intelligence Regulations - Nearly 50 major European companies, including Airbus and Mercedes-Benz, are calling for a delay in the implementation of the EU's AI regulations, arguing that the regulations could jeopardize the region's ambitions in AI [20] - The UK and Singapore are deepening their digital finance cooperation, focusing on AI and asset tokenization [21][22] Group 4: Semiconductor Industry Developments - South Korea has reduced its reliance on Japanese chip materials, with the import dependency for photoresist dropping from 93.2% to 65.4% [39][40] - TSMC is delaying the construction of its second factory in Japan due to U.S. policy impacts, while also accelerating investments in the U.S. [45][51] - Samsung's Q2 profits are expected to drop by 39% due to weak sales of AI chips, raising concerns about its competitiveness in the AI chip market [52][53][54] Group 5: Automotive Industry Updates - BYD has begun assembling cars in Brazil, with plans to produce 60,000 vehicles annually once fully operational [58][60][62] - Mercedes-Benz reported a 9% decline in Q2 sales, with significant drops in both the North American and Chinese markets [64] Group 6: Aerospace and Space Exploration - The International Deep Space Exploration Society was established in China, marking a significant step in international cooperation in space exploration [66][67] - Globalstar has signed a launch service agreement with SpaceX to enhance its satellite services [68]