Leverage in the trade war: US State Department backs Starlink
Trump's tariffs have shocked the world, at the moment they are only suspended. Several countries are hoping that approval for Starlink will help in negotiations
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As part of the negotiations on the new tariffs, US embassies and the US State Department have urged other countries to lower regulatory hurdles for US satellite companies, often mentioning SpaceX's Starlink by name. This was reported by the Washington Post, citing internal documents, some of which were personally signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As a result, approvals for Starlink were granted more quickly in India, for example, and the government there saw this as an "important lubricant" for reaching an agreement, the US newspaper quotes an insider as saying.
In the interests of the nation
The newspaper goes on to say that the documents viewed do not show that Donald Trump's government explicitly demanded that the way be cleared for Starlink in return for lower tariffs. However, it is clear that the US Secretary of State is advocating for Starlink approvals at a time when the US government is pushing ahead with far-reaching negotiations on trade issues. When asked, the ministry explained that Starlink is a US product that is groundbreaking for connecting remote regions to the internet. All "patriotic Americans" should rejoice in Starlink's success, "especially in the face of compromised competition from China".
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According to the newspaper article, at least two governments have explicitly discussed granting Starlink a license in return for concessions in the US government's trade dispute. This was the case in Cambodia and Djibouti. The US State Department received similar information from Lesotho, where the move was also intended as a sign of goodwill. SpaceX's satellite internet has recently received at least partial approvals in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam. According to Reuters, preliminary approval has now also been granted in India, where SpaceX has been fighting for years.
The report explains the latest successes for SpaceX and Starlink against the backdrop of the US trade war. After Donald Trump announced tariffs on goods from almost every country in the world at the beginning of April, he suspended most of them a few days later – but only for 90 days. His government is now focusing on negotiations with the affected countries, which will try to prevent the high trade barriers. In view of the close ties between Donald Trump and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, it makes sense to use approvals for Starlink as a concession. Although Joe Biden's administration has already lobbied abroad for US satellite services, it has not done so explicitly for Starlink, the newspaper writes.
(mho)
