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Trade
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.
The Pinglu Canal runs through Qinzhou in China’s southern Guangxi region. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

China’s vast new canal link to Southeast Asia set to open earlier than expected

The Pinglu Canal – a US$10 billion waterway connecting China’s heartlands to the Gulf of Tonkin – will begin trial operations as soon as September.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Open Questions | China-US stability may not last, ex-Asia adviser to Obama says

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US-China relations

US foreign affairs chairman warns of China role in Argentina contract bid

US-China trade war

Trump scraps signing AI executive order to keep ‘lead’ over China in industry

White House postpones decision on more regulation over fast-growing AI market as it may affect US competitiveness with rivals globally.

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US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday. Photo: EPA
China-Russia relations

China and Russia unite on world order, but Putin departs without concrete gains

Analysts say Beijing’s position in managing three-way ties appears to be strengthened after hosting Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

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China energy security

As Chinese supertankers cross Strait of Hormuz, is the crisis starting to ease?

Two Chinese tankers were among group of vessels transiting vital waterway on Wednesday, but was it a one-off or the start of a new trend?

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United States

US jobless claims fall as lay-offs remain low despite economic uncertainty

Despite historically low lay-offs, the labour market appears to be stuck in what economists call a ‘low-hire, low-fire’ state.

Workers climb down from a building during a heat advisory on Tuesday in New York. Photo: AP
China trade

Asia-Pacific trade risks loom large as Apec official warns of protectionism

China is urged to evolve as a world buyer, ahead of ministers’ gathering in Suzhou where a raft of far-reaching trade issues will be discussed.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | What Putin, Trump summits say about China’s role in world affairs

Beijing’s desire for systemic stability guides its relations with Moscow and Washington, making it central to global mediation.

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Britain

Queen pushed for ex-prince Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy

Emails released earlier this year suggest ‌that Mountbatten-Windsor, while serving ‌as trade envoy, forwarded reports to Jeffrey Epstein.

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Queen Elizabeth (left) and former prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey in London in 2022. Photo: AFP
China-Russia relations

China-Russia joint statement on Xi-Putin summit

The two countries issued a statement following this week’s meeting in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Photo: EPA
China trade

Ex-mayor calls for stronger yuan, tariff cuts to reduce China’s trade surplus

Huang Qifan says coordinated policies, including gradual yuan appreciation and lowering of tariffs, are needed to address trade imbalances.

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US-China trade war

China says US agreed to a maximum tariff rate. Could the trade war be waning?

Beijing says Washington agreed to keep future trade levies at numbers set in trade talks last year.

Indonesia

Prabowo tightens state grip on palm oil, coal amid monopolistic fears

A state agency will handle exports of palm oil, coal and ferroalloys to stem revenue loss and under-invoicing, the president says.

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech to lawmakers as Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka looks on at the parliament building in Jakarta on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
European Union

EU picks tungsten, rare earths, gallium for first critical mineral stockpile

The move marks one of the bloc’s most concrete steps to reduce reliance on China for elements vital to defence and tech.

Labourers work at a tungsten mining factory at Zhongshan, China. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Chinese investment in Europe surges to 7-year high despite rising trade tensions

But study warns that new project pipeline appears to be drying up, as Chinese investors face pressure from both Beijing and Brussels.

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Malaysia

Did US restrictions sink Malaysia’s US$147 million Norway missile deal?

Analysts say US-controlled parts may have been a factor in Norway’s revoked export licences, underscoring risks for Asian defence buyers.

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Diplomacy

Editorial | Energy will be high on Xi-Putin summit agenda

Amid Iran war disruptions, Russia wants to lock in deals at higher prices while China wants alternative energy sources.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping greet each other in Tianjin, China, on August 31, 2025. Photo: Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
US-China trade war

House foreign affairs chair warns AI sales to China could make America a ‘loser’

Brian Mast stressed that American firms must not let the best US technology reach the ‘wrong places’ when it comes to AI industry.

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China energy security

Putin is pushing for a ‘serious’ new energy deal in China. Will he get it?

The Russian leader arrives in China days after Trump in search of an energy deal, with yuan settlements, pricing potentially on the table.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Malacca Strait could be the next hinge point if Asia isn’t careful

Straits like Hormuz and Malacca are pressure points where commerce and power converge. What once defined success now defines vulnerability.

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A motorcyclist passes by liquefied natural gas tankers in the Malacca Strait off the coast of Malaysia on April 15. Photo: EPA
China-EU relations

China’s firms in Europe chose to save on legal services. Will it cost them?

Chinese companies, often reluctant to pay for legal services, are encountering greater compliance issues as they expand into a stricter EU.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Diplomacy

Opinion | Xi-Trump summit affirms China’s role as world’s indispensable broker

In hosting his US and Russian counterparts within a week, President Xi Jinping shows that China’s vision rests on pre-eminence over hegemony.

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United States

US extends Russian oil waiver by 30 days as Hormuz closure chokes supply

US Treasury secretary says reprieve will allow energy-vulnerable nations to access Russian seaborne oil.

Rare earths

Australia to force investors with China ties to divest from rare earths company

The company will force divestment from two individuals and four companies due to Chinese affiliation.

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Northern Minerals is developing a heavy rare earths project in Western Australia, at a time when the sector has become increasingly strategic for its uses in green energy and defence. Photo: Handout
Science

China’s northeast, poor in rare earths, scores big find

A new type of deposit in Heilongjiang and Jilin promises easier, cheaper mining than in southern clay-rich areas, say scientists.

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A rare earth mine at Bayan Obo, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China, seen in 2011. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
US-China relations

Opinion | China’s gift to the world we live in: predictability

Surveys of US public opinion and German investor sentiment point to the wisdom of China’s strategic composure.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Bought the farm? Details still fuzzy on scope of US-China agriculture deal

China granted five-year export licenses to 77 US beef facilities, while renewing expired licenses of 425 other plants for another five years.

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