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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.
Electric cars for export wait to be loaded on a ship at Yantai port in China’s Shandong province in January 2024. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Trump admin pushes out US official whose unit banned Chinese vehicles

Elizabeth Cannon’s departure comes shortly after the US Commerce Department dropped a plan to restrict Chinese drones.

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US-China trade war

At America’s biggest retail show, the China question never really goes away

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China exports

Explainer | How are US tariffs and trade barriers redrawing China’s export map?

China food security

Rooted in resilience: how China’s seed push has planted agricultural ‘chips’

Domestic varieties claiming bigger market shares for key crops and livestock, curbing reliance on foreign sources for vital food production.

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Vegetable seedlings are examined at a greenhouse in China’s Shandong province. Chinese authorities say considerable advances have been made in the domestic seed industry over the last few years. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions: analysts

Beijing to focus on maintaining its ‘constructive relationship with US’ and does not need to ‘disrupt that over Greenland’, say experts.

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US-China relations

US and Canada drift apart on China as Ottawa rethinks Beijing ties

Policy gaps are emerging after PM Mark Carney struck a wide-ranging deal with Beijing, testing past US-Canada alignment, analysts say.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Indonesia’s Prabowo pitches stability at Davos amid rising global tensions

Prabowo says Indonesia aims to stamp out corruption and ‘greedanomics’, and calls for trade integration to help boost global prosperity.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Jimmy Lai trial

Beijing, Hong Kong slam European bid to sanction officials over Jimmy Lai trial

Resolution in response to conviction of former media boss also calls for rethink of city’s trade status under World Trade Organization.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

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India

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

A trade pact with the EU would offer an ‘alternative market’ for Indian goods amid a fraught global environment, analysts say.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, in February 2025. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Macroscope | Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump

Despite being equipped with powerful tools in its economic arsenal, Brussels lacks the leverage needed to keep Washington in check.

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Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte (left) speaks to US President Donald Trump during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21. Photo: AFP
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘No choice’: China seen eyeing consumption as a route out of export reliance

Beijing’s policies seen putting income growth above GDP, with investments in social welfare, future tech and advanced manufacturing to spur internal demand.

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Japan

Japan’s conservatives turn sour on Trump as ‘fears of abandonment’ deepen

Right-wing media outlets and politicians are now concerned that Trump’s second term will harm Japan’s trade and security interests.

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Commodities

China unveils 18-point plan to boost global non-ferrous metals pricing power

The move is aimed at strengthening the links between the futures, spot and derivatives markets for non-ferrous metals and Shanghai’s role.

Currently, 11 non-ferrous metals futures contracts and 10 options, including copper, are listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

Trump’s decision to sell AI chips to China under pressure as House bill advances

A key Republican challenges White House AI czar and Nvidia despite Maga backlash; it must still pass both chambers and get Trump’s signature.

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The Trump administration approved the sale ​of Nvidia’s H200 chip to China earlier this month. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China trade war

Beijing-Ottawa deal reinforces China’s dominance in EV industry, analysts say

New agreement is set to significantly boost Chinese carmakers’ global expansion and offers easier entry into the North American EV market.

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European Union

Explainer | What is the ‘trade bazooka’ the EU may use against Trump’s Greenland threats?

Under pressure from the US president, the bloc is considering measures that could inflict billions of dollars of losses on American firms.

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United States

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

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US President Donald Trump waves to the audience after his speech during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

China widens trade gap with Africa to record US$102 billion amid US pressure

Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.

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Donald Trump

How Asia’s economies could benefit from Trump’s global power plays

Countries such as Canada are looking to diversify their customers, particularly for oil and gas, with ‘a strong focus on Asia’, analysts say.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

It’s a calculated choice to keep growth, infrastructure momentum and policy space alive in a world that punishes the economically exposed.

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African Union Commission chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 8. Photo: Handout from African Union via EPA
China trade

China should leverage buying power to boost yuan’s use, former PBOC adviser says

With the yuan’s fixing at fresh 2023 highs and US dollar uncertainty rising under Trump, Beijing is urged to expand yuan-settled imports to internationalise its currency.

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A former adviser to China’s central bank said Beijing should leverage the nation’s purchasing power to boost imports settled in yuan. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Editorial | China’s EV industry should focus on consolidation at home, expansion abroad

With Beijing discouraging ‘irrational competition’, the fewer brands with greater scale that emerge from the consolidation wave should look to opportunities abroad.

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing aviator sunglasses due to an eye condition, delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: dpa
China-EU relations

EU moves to force Huawei out of networks, opening door to wider China tech bans

European Commission plan would make vendor removals mandatory within three years and allow broader curbs if China is deemed a cyber risk.

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If approved, the European Commission plan could be the tip of the iceberg for Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese operators. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Bessent cites trade progress after meeting China’s He Lifeng in Davos

US Treasury chief says rare earths are flowing and China is buying soybeans as talks move towards an April Trump-Xi meeting.

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China trade

China’s zero-tariff gambit: why Beijing is slashing duties as Trump raises them

China’s average effective tariff rate estimated to be as low as 1.3 per cent in 2025, helping it secure raw materials and build soft power.

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