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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.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
War and conflict

Opinion | Iran war is changing East Asia’s energy and strategic plays

States like China and Russia that can provide energy, industrial inputs, strategic reassurance or room for manoeuvre are gaining weight.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s ex-China mineral-alliance plan faces cost surge amid Iran war oil shock

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China GDP

‘False proposition’: state media hits ‘China shock’ as cover for Western anxiety

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Asean

How Asean’s neutral stance in Iran war protects its energy security

Granting Southeast Asian vessels safe passage through the strait allows Iran to come across as a diplomatic good guy, analysts say.

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An oil tanker sits anchored off Muscat, Oman, on March 10. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

Brazil exporters bypass local banks to tap China’s US$1 trillion Sinosure fund

As Brazilian interest rates price out local lenders, Sinosure is quietly reshaping how Chinese goods reach the market.

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China-Canada relations

Canada’s finance minister visits China as both countries seek to bolster ties

Francois-Philippe Champagne’s four-day trip comes close on the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing in January.

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China trade

Qiushi reaffirms China’s trade push, calls old export-led growth ‘unsustainable’

Global tensions, weak high-end exports, and record trade surpluses are spurring a strategic shift to boost imports, develop services trade and deepen market integration.

Vehicles await export at a port in China’s Jiangsu province on March 15. A commentary in the latest issue of the Qiushi Journal says the traits of China’s economy render an export-driven growth model “unsustainable”. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan, France to draw road map for supply of critical minerals

It aims to lower their high dependency on China, which mines about 70 per cent of the world’s supply and refines some 90 per cent.

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China economy

Opinion | Global businesses are piling back into China, drawn by its stability

For all its structural challenges, China offers something the West no longer seems to: policy continuity and a sense of stability.

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China energy security

Australia and Japan face jet fuel supply crunch as China cuts exports

Both Australia and Japan are heavily reliant on Chinese jet fuel, but shipments have plunged in recent weeks amid the Iran war.

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Qantas is already raising airfares as Australia faces a jet fuel supply crunch amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Photo: AFP
Chinese culture

As I see it | Why China is always misunderstood and misrepresented

By insisting on the superiority of its own standards of judgment and experience, the West distorts the realities of other societies.

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A man walks past a large sculpture of the Communist Party flag at the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition in Beijing, on March 1. Photo: AP
2026 Trump-Xi summit

Trump-Xi summit: US trade chief casts doubt on pre-meeting Beijing visit

Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says key Trump officials unlikely to meet Chinese counterparts, in a break from usual practice for talks.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Why spike in fertiliser prices could boost China’s political clout

Beijing could see its regional leverage grow as the Iran war hits supply, though weaponisation of exports is unlikely, analysts say.

China inflation

China has ‘room’ for imported inflation, but economic risks rising: PBOC adviser

As US-Israel war with Iran sends prices up, a monetary expert says impact on China depends on conflict’s severity, while higher energy costs are worrying.

Drivers line up to refuel at a petrol station in China’s Jiangsu province last week, amid concerns about rising energy prices due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Photo: EPA
War and conflict

Opinion | In age of US-China rivalry, supply chain statecraft counts

Systems that once underpinned globalisation as a process of integration are becoming repurposed as instruments of competition.

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A man walks along rocks as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11. Photo: AP
China trade

Will Iran’s strikes on Gulf smelters strengthen China’s aluminium dominance?

Analysts say disruption at plants could shift more output to China, which already produces more than half of global supply.

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US, Israel war on Iran

How the Hormuz attacks stoke oil-shock fears and memories of 1970s stagflation

A timeline of past oil shocks is seen offering ‘clear lessons’ for today’s Strait of Hormuz crisis, with an eye on ripple effects and contingency tools.

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US, Israel war on Iran

War on Iran is about to make clothes more expensive. Here’s why

Rising freight and energy costs, plus a near-blockade on synthetic fibres, are pushing prices higher.

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People shop for clothes at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 16. Photo: EPA
European Union

Opinion | Europe’s response to Iran war risks becoming its ‘darkest hour’

By prevaricating on US aggression, Brussels risks forfeiting new partnerships that could help reduce its reliance on Washington.

Singapore

Singapore seizes record Asian pangolin scales disguised as ‘dried fish skin’

The scales – estimated to be from more than 2,200 pangolins – were found after officials intercepted an inbound truck carrying sea cargo.

War and conflict

Macroscope | Iran war’s ripple effects are just getting started for Asia

From tariffs to supply chain disruption, Asian economies reliant on energy imports find themselves cornered between compounding crises.

A pedestrian walks past a petrol station in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

Trump pitches China trade ‘win’ to US farmers ahead of Xi meeting, midterms

Claims come despite farmers remaining unsure if China will meet its 25 million-tonne commitment for 2026, as planting season approaches.

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US President Donald Trump gestures to farmers from the Truman balcony of the White House in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

China denies retaliating against Panama ships, accuses Washington of canal grab

US body says Beijing’s inspections of Panama-flagged ships exceed historical norms and may be reprisals over ousted Hong Kong operator.

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US-China relations

Air China subsidiary to lease 10 Boeing jets in deals worth about US$400 million

The announcement comes weeks ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China, where he is expected to conduct trade talks.

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China shipbuilding

Iran war exposes a weakness in China’s vast shipping sector: a lack of insurers

China’s maritime sector still relies on overseas legal and financial service providers, a potential strategic vulnerability in a turbulent world.

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A cargo ship loads and unloads containers at a port in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. China has a vast shipping sector, but still lacks a robust maritime insurance industry. Photo: Getty Images
World Trade Organization (WTO)

Opinion | As Trump wrecks trade, WTO meeting in Cameroon is a show of defiance

Trade ministerial conference shows that most nations still value multilateral cooperation over the chaotic whims of a hegemon.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 23. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

European Parliament heads to China after 8 years and lobbying from Beijing

Chair of consumer protection delegation due in China next week wants to convey ‘that our rules on product standards are to be followed’.

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China-Latin America relations

China threatens Mexico with trade reprisals over 50% import duties

Economy secretary rejected Beijing’s complaints, saying Chinese firms sell below cost with state backing and Mexico will not back down.

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