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LONDON: King Charles welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit, their warm greeting symbolising the return of closer ties between the two countries.
Macron, treated to a British state visit for the first time, enjoys a strong personal relationship with the king, and there were smiles as the pair met alongside their wives Brigitte and Queen Camilla, watched over by soldiers on horseback, in ceremonial uniform of blue tunics and scarlet plumes.
Charles is expected to emphasize “the multitude of complex threats” both countries face when he speaks at the castle later, while Macron posted on X on his arrival that “there is so much we can build together.”
Accompanied by heir to the throne Prince William, and his wife Princess Catherine, the group climbed into several horse-drawn carriages for a procession in Windsor which finished in the medieval castle’s courtyard, west of London.
Since the election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year, Britain has been trying to reset ties with European allies, and Charles will want to play his part in setting the tone of the visit before the political talks get underway.
“Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world,” the 76-year-old monarch, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, will say later.
While Macron’s three-day trip is filled with meetings about economic issues and foreign affairs, the first day of the state visit, which comes 16 years after the late Queen Elizabeth hosted then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is largely focused on pageantry, and heavy in symbolism.
Before heading to London on Tuesday afternoon to address parliament, Macron joined Charles to inspect the Guard of Honour. He was due to have lunch with the family and tour the Royal Collection, paintings and furniture amassed by the Windsors over the centuries.
The monarch’s right eye was noticeably red when he met Macron. A Buckingham Palace source said he had suffered a burst blood vessel in one eye which was unrelated to any other health condition.
The day will end with a state dinner back at Windsor Castle, including speeches by Charles and Macron in front of about 150 guests.
“It’s wonderful that we’re going down the path of welcoming European leaders once again,” Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who will host a banquet in Macron’s honor on Wednesday, told Reuters.
Migrants deal
Later in his trip, Macron and Starmer’s discussions will focus on a range of issues, including how to stop people-smuggling and improve economic and defense ties at a time when the United States is retrenching from its traditional role as a defender of European security.
Although there have been tensions over the shape of post-Brexit ties and how to stop asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats, Britain and France have been working closely together to create a planned military force to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
British officials are hoping that Macron will agree to a pilot of an asylum seekers’ returns deal. This would involve Britain deporting one asylum seeker to France in exchange for another with a legitimate case to be in Britain, thereby disrupting the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
A record number of asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats from France in the first six months of this year. Starmer, trailing behind Nigel Farage’s insurgent, right-wing Reform UK party in the polls, is under pressure to come up with a solution.
France has previously refused to sign up to such an agreement, saying Britain should negotiate an arrangement with all the EU countries.

JAKARTA: Officials in Southeast Asian countries prepared on Tuesday to step up trade negotiations with Washington after President Donald Trump’s administration hit some of them with over 30 percent tariffs, despite a raft of new concessions and offers to boost investment in the US.

Trump sent letters on Monday to over a dozen nations, notifying them of new tariff rates set to begin on Aug. 1. About half were heavily export-reliant Southeast Asian economies. 

In Indonesia, the region’s largest economy, Trump’s announcement came despite last week’s offer to increase imports of US wheat, soybean, cotton, corn and energy products in a deal that could go as high as $34 billion, and to boost investment in the US.  

Jakarta has immediately sent Airlangga Hartarto, its top negotiator and senior economics minister, to Washington to hold talks with US officials.

“We have a team of negotiators ready in Washington, D.C., and our coordinating minister for economic affairs is on his way to D.C.,” Hasan Nasbi, head of the presidential communications office, told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

“With the date extended to Aug. 1, it means we have a few weeks’ opportunity to negotiate, and our government is very optimistic about these negotiations as we have good relations with all countries, including the US.”

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that countries “aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

The post followed Sunday’s summit of BRICS — a geopolitical forum that includes Russia, China, India, and Indonesia — which condemned Trump’s tariffs.

The US is Indonesia’s second-largest export market after China, with exports valued at around $26.3 billion in 2024, according to data from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency. Last year, Indonesia ran a $16.8 billion goods trade surplus with the US.

Also, Thailand is facing a tariff rate of 36 percent, despite offering to cut levies to zero on many US imports last week.

“The United States has not yet considered our latest proposal,” Thai Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira wrote on X. 

“We will not stop; we will keep fighting. We will seek additional measures and find more solutions to ensure that we all fight to the very end, to secure the best possible deal for Thailand.” 

In 2024, Thailand’s shipments to the US accounted for 18.3 percent of its total and were worth about $54.96 billion last year, making the US the country’s biggest export market. 

Malaysia, for whom the US is the second-largest trading partner after China, and the largest export destination — with total trade worth $71.4 billion in 2024 — faces a 25 percent tariff rate.

Its Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the country “remains committed to constructive engagement” with the US.

“While we understand concerns regarding trade imbalances, we believe that dialogue and engagement are the best approach,” he wrote on X.

“(Malaysia’s Trade Ministry) will continue discussions with U.S. counterparts to address unresolved issues. Our goal is to achieve a balanced, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade agreement.”