The move comes as the furniture industry faces weak demand, high inflation and a slow housing market, with analysts warning tariffs could raise prices and strain the sector.

Last week, China's coast guard mounted what the Philippines called an "unusual" show of force at Second Thomas Shoal, a hotly disputed submerged reef in the Spratly Islands where Manila maintains a small outpost in the form of the rusting warship BRP Sierra Madre, grounded there in 1999 to anchor its territorial claim.

Artificial islands housing munitions and aircraft created in an attempt to lay claim to disputed islands vital for shipping

AMTI imagery shows Vietnam accelerating Spratly reclamation, surpassing 2,300 acres with new harbors and an airstrip.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had discussed nuclear arms control with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit in Alaska - and that China should be involved too - with the ultimate aim of "denuclearization".

"Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it. We can’t let nuclear weapons proliferate," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he has spoken again with Russia’s Vladimir Putin following last week’s multilateral talks in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.