HANOI: Vietnam said on Thursday “positive progress” has been made in trade talks with Washington, as it tries to slash President Donald Trump’s threatened 46 percent levy imposed on the country in his global tariff blitz.
The ministry of industry and trade however said both sides have “groups of issues for further discussion” in the coming rounds of talks, with the next scheduled for early June.
The southeast Asian nation has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States of any country after China and Mexico and is anxious to address the imbalance to head off the tariff threat.
At the end of three days of talks in Washington, both sides had identified matters of common concern “in the spirit of goodwill, frankness... and balance of interests,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The Vietnamese team sought help during its time in the United States from US tech and industry giants, including Lockheed Martin, SpaceX and Google.
It also signed an agreement with US company Westinghouse Electric on nuclear power development.
President Trump’s real estate group on Wednesday broke ground in Vietnam on a $1.5-billion luxury resort and golf course 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the capital Hanoi.
His son, Eric Trump, an executive vice president of The Trump Organization, and his wife Lara attended the event, as well as local partner the Kinhbac City Development Corporation (KBC).
He is also due to scout locations this week for a potential tower project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern business hub.
Trump visited the Vietnamese capital in 2019 for his abortive second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He described Hanoi at the time as an “incredible city,” praising Vietnam for “the job they’ve done — economic development.”
Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US
Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US
- The southeast Asian nation has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States of any country after China and Mexico
- Trump visited the Vietnamese capital in 2019 for his abortive second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
Former spy chief Faiz Hameed appeals conviction by Pakistan military court
- The ex-ISI chief was sentenced to 14 years in prison over engagement in political activities, misuse of authority
- His conviction is highly unusual in a country where the military has ruled for almost half of its 78-year history
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former intelligence chief Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed has appealed his sentencing to 14 years in prison by a Pakistani military court, Hameed’s lawyer said on Sunday.
Hameed was arrested in Aug. 2024 amid accusations he was involved in land grabbing and coercive seizures of property belonging to the owner of the Top City housing development near Islamabad. At the time, the military said multiple violations of the Pakistan Army Act after his retirement had also been established, prompting court martial proceedings.
On Dec. 11, Pakistan’s military announced that Hameed was found guilty of engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act and misusing authority and government resources as the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
“We have filed an appeal against the sentence handed down to Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed by the military courts. The appeal was submitted to the Registrar Court of Appeals, AG Branch, Chief of Army Staff,” Hameed’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq told Arab News, without providing further details.
Hameed served as the ISI director-general from 2019 to 2021. His conviction is highly unusual in a country where the military has ruled for almost half of its history and continues to exert significant influence during civilian rule.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, had said that Hameed was tried on four charges relating to political interference, breaches of the Official Secrets Act, misuse of authority and causing “wrongful loss to persons.”
“After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the Court which has been promulgated on 11 December 2025,” the ISPR said on Dec. 11.
Hameed was widely seen as close to Imran Khan when he was the prime minister and after his removal in a no-trust vote in 2022.
The military had previously accused Hameed of helping engineer political unrest during violent clashes on May 9, 2023, when Khan supporters rioted nationwide after his brief arrest on graft charges. Protesters were accused of torching government and military buildings “at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests.” Khan, jailed since August 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated, denies ordering the attacks.
In its Dec. 11 statement, the military said the trial against Hameed complied with all legal requirements, adding that the former spy chief was given full rights, including the ability to choose his defense team, and retained the right to appeal “at the relevant forum.”
The ISPR also said his alleged role in “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements” was being handled separately, leading to speculation about more inquiries and legal cases.
Hameed, who retired in Dec. 2022, has long been a polarizing figure. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also accuses him of helping engineer the 2017 removal of former premier Nawaz Sharif through court cases. Hameed denied the allegations.
“This is a landmark decision and I think the rule of law and accountability mechanism has been strengthened,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who belongs to the PMLN-N, had told a Pakistani broadcaster after the announcement of the verdict against Hameed.
