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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.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured on May 14 at the welcoming ceremony for Trump’s recent visit to Beijing. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Double standards? How North American conservatives viewed 2 China trips

The North American right cast Trump’s Beijing visit as ‘deal-making diplomacy’ while attacking the Canadian leader for ‘hedging with China’.

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Banking & finance

Tech edge to boost Chinese firms’ overseas revenues to record high: UBS

US-China relations

The View | In Beijing, the US and China tiptoed around tech and critical minerals

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Hong Kong economy

China Mobile plans fresh Central Asia link to Hong Kong submarine cable network

Telecoms giant’s announcement comes ahead of Hong Kong leader John Lee’s first official visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June.

Telecoms giant China Mobile International is planning another route to connect terrestrial cables in Central Asia with Hong Kong’s submarine network. Photo: Handout
US-China tech war

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

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US-China relations

Opinion | How the US and China can ensure their board of trade is effective

Both sides need to learn from past failures, agree on a mandate and appoint officials with the clout to push decisions.

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Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets the chairman of Alibaba Group, Joe Tsai, on Sunday. Photo: handout
International Property

Property challenges put Chinese firms’ go-global plans at risk: JLL

Some firms have scrapped investment plans to ‘restart from scratch’ after difficulty securing property, researcher says.

China trade

Chinese traders in Iran keep business afloat as war capsizes naval shipping

Extended disruption caused by conflict has prompted Chinese merchants to turn to railway and land transport routes to trade goods.

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China-Russia relations

Putin left China, with no pipeline deal. Why is the valve still closed?

Though this week’s China-Russia summit featured many agreements, none progressed the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China-India relations

Rubio expected to brief New Delhi on Xi-Trump summit during India trip

US Secretary of State arrives on Saturday for four-day visit, with relations between the two countries strained and continuing to fluctuate.

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US United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in India on Saturday for a four-day visit that will include Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. Photo: AFP
India

India’s US$9 billion island megaport sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

When completed, the Great Nicobar project would allow India to monitor activities near the Strait of Malacca, a key trade corridor for China.

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Asean

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

Banking & finance

AIIB launches US$10 billion facility to help nations hit by Iran war fallout

The new facility will help nations deal with urgent energy, food and economic resilience needs, according to the bank.

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The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was launched by China in 2016 and is headquartered in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

China’s new US$10.7 billion canal near completion to boost Asean trade links

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.

The Pinglu Canal runs through Qinzhou in China’s southern Guangxi region. Photo: Xinhua
2026 Xi-Trump summit

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

Evan Medeiros warns of growing US opposition to Donald Trump’s detente with Beijing and the risk that the Taiwan issue could cause a crisis in relations.

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US-China relations

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

Brian Mast’s letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerns an auction for a contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River.

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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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Chinese-made vehicles wait to be exported at a port in Jiangsu province on April 27. Photo: AFP
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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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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Huang Qifan, former mayor of Chongqing, speaks at the Tsinghua PBCSF Global Finance Forum in Chengdu on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
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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