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News about international trade flows, statistics and policy decisions from the world’s most important trading economies and trade-related bodies, including the World Trade Organisation.
US President Donald Trump poses for photos with President Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump hails ‘fantastic’ China trade deals, signalling Boeing, oil sales

US president targets ‘double-digit billions’ in farm sales and 200 Boeing jets as Beijing is said to weigh American oil imports to bypass Middle East shipping risks.

Asean

Canada pushes to finalise Asean trade deal to cut US reliance

US-China relations

Editorial | Xi-Trump summit in Beijing heralds start of constructive, stable relations

US-China trade war

The US-China trade war is entering a worrying new phase

The US and China are racing to roll out competing sanctions, rules and regulations, leaving firms trapped in a legal Catch-22.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Brics

Opinion | Brics is less a structure than a sentiment

Despite lacking geopolitical alignment, Brics captures a prevailing mood among emerging economies that won’t fade away any time soon.

China-Latin America relations

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Boeing nears ‘large’ China orders as Trump and Xi forge new trade board: Bessent

Washington and Beijing will discuss the board to manage commercial ties, and there is a plan to ‘pregame’ investments to avoid national security blocks.

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President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as US President Donald Trump looks on during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Samsung union’s strike threat fuels fears of South Korea’s economic slowdown

The AI boom and SK Hynix’s profit-sharing arrangement with its workers have reportedly galvanised Samsung’s biggest union to take action.

Donald Trump

Video | Beijing’s Temple of Heaven closed for Trump’s private tour

Beijing urges US president ‘to hold the line on peaceful coexistence’ as it prepares to host him at heritage site.

Malaysia

Malaysia weighs legal action after Norway blocks missile exports

The missiles are central to Malaysia’s troubled littoral combat ship programme as Putrajaya says it will seek an explanation from Oslo.

The Naval Strike Missiles produced by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace are meant for the Malaysian navy’s littoral combat ships and two guided missile frigates. Photo: Kongsberg
China trade

Asia needs ‘institutional toolbox’ to survive global shocks, China experts warn

Ahead of Trump’s China visit, experts at an RCEP forum discuss a supply-chain overhaul, looking to insulate the world’s biggest trading bloc.

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Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, speaks at an RCEP forum in Hainan on Saturday. Photo: Handout
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China-US trade talks kick off in Seoul ahead of high-profile leaders’ summit

Trade deals, export controls on critical minerals and the Iran war likely to be talking points as senior officials sit down for negotiations.

US-China relations

US confirms delegation to Apec meeting in China as Trump sets off for Beijing

US representatives to attend Apec trade and investment meetings in Shanghai and Suzhou this month as key Trump-Xi summit looms.

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US-China relations

Opinion | US maximum pressure tactics unlikely to work with China

As the Trump-Xi summit approaches, China will be going into negotiations with a new diplomatic posture.

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A US Air Force C-17 lands at Beijing Capital Airport on May 11, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

US defence secretary joins Trump on China trip in rare diplomatic move

Pete Hegseth becomes first Pentagon chief to accompany a US president to Beijing since Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate on Tuesday regarding the White House’s proposed military budget. Photo: Getty Images
China-Latin America relations

Beijing calls Paraguay leaders willing ‘chess pieces’ after disputed Taiwan trip

Beijing’s anger over President Santiago Pena’s Taipei trade visit comes as Taiwan issue looms large at this week’s Trump-Xi summit.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China stresses ‘equality, respect’ as Trump heads to Beijing for Xi summit

Trade, Taiwan and Middle East tensions loom large as US and Chinese leaders meet for first state visit since Trump’s return.

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United States

US finalises US$35.5 billion in refunds for illegal Trump tariffs

Customs and Border Protection has received 126,237 applications for reimbursements as of Monday morning.

A woman shops at a Costco store in California in April 2025. Costco has promised to pass on tariff refunds to members by lowering prices. Photo: TNS
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Musk joins Trump’s Beijing delegation as a ‘natural bridge’ for trade

Gigafactory stakes and a push for self-driving software approval cast the billionaire as a key US envoy while seemingly sealing a reconciliation with Trump.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

From ‘Taco’ to ‘Nacho’: Wall Street’s new buzzword as Trump preps for China trip

Traders’ catch-cry ‘Not a chance Hormuz opens’ replaces ‘Trump always chickens out’ as grim predictions swirl over gridlock, oil prices.

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China trade

Pakistan to tap China debt market with first sale of yuan-priced ‘panda bonds’

Islamabad turns to ‘panda bonds’ to secure cheaper credit and diversify its borrowing into yuan-denominated funding, with a focus on sustainable development.

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Pakistan and China continue to forge stronger economic ties. Here, a family rides past a roadside display in the shape of their national flags in Lahore, Pakistan, ahead of a visit by Vice-Premier He Lifeng in 2023 to mark the 10th anniversary of a mega economic plan. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump taps Musk, Cook and other leaders for high-stakes China trade mission

Business delegation spanning tech, aviation and finance joins Beijing trip as trade, investment and supply chains top agenda.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and expected to join a delegation of US business leaders travelling with President Donald Trump to China this week. Photo: Getty Images
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump’s China visit watched in US for signs of stability – and tangible wins

American business and policy circles seek trade certainty, AI dialogue and signs rivalry can be managed despite wider tensions.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

US-China negotiations seek a quick Seoul search for deals ahead of Trump’s visit

Setting stage for presidential summit with Xi in Beijing, Bessent and He to meet in South Korea, and the ‘3 Bs’ could be on the cards.

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China trade

Sino-Japanese relations

China and Japan have forged strong economic ties, despite having regular diplomatic rows over disputed territories and the legacy of the Second World War. The latest escalation occurred in November after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Japan’s military forces could be deployed in the event of conflict in the Strait of Taiwan.

Sino-Japanese relations
South Korea

‘Unidentified aircraft’ hit Korean cargo ship in Hormuz on Monday: Seoul

Iran has denied responsibility for the attack, with its embassy in Seoul stating that it rejects and denies any allegations of involvement.

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Iranian ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi (centre) leaves the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Sunday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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India

Vietnam joins rush for India’s battle-tested ‘strong, non-Western’ BrahMos

As a joint Indo-Russian venture, BrahMos offers a supersonic, non-Western alternative to US hardware with no Nato-linked conditions.

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