China’s shipbuilding, bid for 2030 maths Olympics: SCMP daily highlights

From rare earth minerals to the tech behind a high orbit radar satellite, here’s a round-up from today’s China and economy coverage

Reading Time:2 minutes

China’s shipbuilding industry, the world’s largest, could be affected by a new US plan to raise port fees for companies with Chinese ships in their fleets. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 27 Feb 2025Updated: 9:56pm, 27 Feb 2025

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. US shot across China’s bow in shipbuilding could backfire as allies fall short

Though the US has unveiled a sweeping port fee proposal designed to hamstring China’s shipbuilding industry – the world’s largest by a wide margin – it may find its Asian allies unable to fill the vacuum in production that could result.

2. Trump declines to say whether US would defend Taiwan in attack by mainland China

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether his administration would move to defend Taiwan against any possible mainland Chinese attack, while touting his “great relationship” with President Xi Jinping.

3. Will Putin help Trump challenge China’s stranglehold on rare earths?

China has the largest rare earth reserves in the world at 44 million tonnes. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

US President Donald Trump’s pursuit of rare earth minerals in Greenland and Ukraine to counter China’s dominance over the critical metals might not match the reality of global reserves.