65 h. ago Can Trump’s pragmatism override China hawks to keep ties from rupture?

China’s rocky trade relationship with the United States was on full display this month as US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denounced China’s move to expand curbs on rare earth exports, calling it “a sign of how weak their economy is”. He also described Li Chenggang, one of China’s trade negotiators, as “pretty unhinged and very aggressive”. Trade ties between the rival powers remain fraught, even...

Politics

6 d. ago New Zealand's finmin eyes stronger regional ties in face of US

New Zealand's finmin eyes stronger regional ties in face of US-China trade war  Reuters

Politics

7 d. ago Western framework ‘cannot explain’ China, academics say in call for context

Western theoretical frameworks are often ill-suited for China studies, according to Chinese academics who called instead for research that was grounded in the country’s specific context. The case for a tailored approach, bolstered by field research to correct biases and enable deeper understanding, was made at this week’s World Conference on China Studies in Shanghai, attended by hundreds of Chinese and foreign academics. Amid an intense war of narratives with the United States, China has been...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump unveils plans for a monument some have dubbed ‘Arc de Trump’

US President Donald Trump has unveiled proposals for a new arch in Washington DC to be built across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial as he continues to burnish his legacy as a master builder. The ceremonial project, which some have dubbed the “Arc de Trump” because it resembles the famed Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would rise at the foot of the bridge that connects Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to the National Mall. “It’s going to be really beautiful. I think it’s going to be...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump wades deeper into private sector minerals to take on China

Trump wades deeper into private sector minerals to take on China  E&E News by POLITICO

Politics

8 d. ago US judge blocks Trump’s plan to fire thousands of workers during shutdown

A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to halt mass lay-offs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown while she considers claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal. During a hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to block lay-offs at more than 30 federal agencies while the case proceeds. The decision is likely to be appealed quickly, but it offers a reprieve for federal...

Events

9 d. ago Trump mulls ending some trade ties with China, including in relation to cooking oil

Trump mulls ending some trade ties with China, including in relation to cooking oil  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago 3 workers died at Hyundai’s Georgia plant since 2022, before ICE raid: reports

Three workers have died since Hyundai Motor started construction of its US$7.6 billion car factory in Georgia in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a review of federal records. Apart from the deaths, more than a dozen workers have suffered serious injuries, including from falling without wearing harnesses and getting crushed by forklifts, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We conducted a comprehensive audit and strengthened safety oversight across the site. We have...

Economics

1 week ago 3 workers died at Hyundai’s Georgia plant since 2022, before ICE raid: report

Three workers have died since Hyundai Motor started construction of its US$7.6 billion car factory in Georgia in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a review of federal records. Apart from the deaths, more than a dozen workers have suffered serious injuries, including from falling without wearing harnesses and getting crushed by forklifts, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We conducted a comprehensive audit and strengthened safety oversight across the site. We have...

Economics

1 week ago Blast at Tennessee explosives plant leaves multiple people dead and missing

An explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant left multiple people dead and missing on Friday, authorities said, as secondary blasts forced rescuers to keep their distance from the burning field of debris. The blast, which people reported hearing and feeling kilometres away, occurred at Accurate Energetic Systems in rural Tennessee. The company’s website says it makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills in the Bucksnort area, about 97km (60...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Trump’s invasion’: Illinois sues to halt National Guard deployment to Chicago

The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued US President Donald Trump on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federalised National Guard troops to Chicago, as hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas headed to the nation’s third-largest city. Trump then escalated the widening clash with Democratic-led states and cities over the domestic use of military forces, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act as a means to circumvent court restrictions on deploying troops where they...

Politics

2 w. ago GLOBALink | Portugal's economy minister eyes deeper innovation cooperation with China

GLOBALink | Portugal's economy minister eyes deeper innovation cooperation with China-Xinhua  新华网

Politics

2 w. ago Visa Free Travel Boosts Arrivals From Russia To China Strengthening Sino

Visa Free Travel Boosts Arrivals From Russia To China Strengthening Sino-Russian Trade And Tourism Ties  Travel And Tour World

Politics

3 w. ago Putin visit to test India’s diplomatic balancing act amid US trade tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in December, a trip that could test New Delhi’s delicate balancing act between Moscow and Washington amid escalating pressure from the United States over oil and weapons purchases from the sanctioned country. Analysts say the visit is likely to deepen India’s defiance of Western demands as it strengthens energy and defence ties with Russia. But it could also complicate Delhi’s strategic ambitions – including a potential trade deal with...

Politics

3 w. ago Delta jets collide on tarmac at New York’s LaGuardia airport

Two Delta Air Lines regional planes collided at low speed while taxiing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday night, causing minor injuries to one flight attendant and prompting regulators to open an investigation. Both planes were CRJ-900 aircraft operated by Endeavor Air. Endeavor Air Flight 5047 was heading to its gate at the airport when it struck Endeavor Air Flight 5155 around 10pm, the US Federal Aviation Administration, which is probing the incident, said in a statement on...

Politics

3 w. ago Is India buckling under US pressure on Russian oil purchase?

India may buy less Russian oil and increase its imports of American crude, while also considering sourcing from blacklisted suppliers such as Iran and Venezuela, according to officials and media reports. The shift reflects New Delhi’s effort to preserve its strategic autonomy, even as it is unwilling to meet Washington’s demands, with the US linking closer trade and diplomatic ties to a cut in Russian oil imports, according to analysts. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,...

Events

3 w. ago Interview: British Museum director eyes deeper cooperation with China

Interview: British Museum director eyes deeper cooperation with China  Xinhua

Culture

3 w. ago EU is diversifying its supply chains, but it’s still reliant on China

Europe’s attempt to reduce its dependence on China through trade agreements in Asia may not achieve the intended outcome. Instead of breaking ties, Brussels is being drawn deeper into supply chains where Chinese companies remain central. EU deals in recent years with Vietnam, Indonesia and India broaden market access and diversify suppliers, yet also channel European demand into production networks controlled by China. Meanwhile, the European Union continues trade talks with Thailand, Malaysia...

Politics

3 w. ago Why China and Indonesia Have Much to Gain from Deeper Synergy

Why China and Indonesia Have Much to Gain from Deeper Synergy  China-US Focus

Politics

3 w. ago US tariffs will cost Asean billions in lost trade, UN says. Is China the answer?

Southeast Asia is set to be the region hardest hit by American tariffs, according to a new UN report, with observers saying the fallout could push Asean deeper into China’s orbit as the US raises the price of entry to its vast consumer market. The report from the United Nations Development Programme forecasts a 6.4 per cent slump in exports to the United States from the wider Asia-Pacific, driven by price increases from tariffs. But for Southeast Asia – a linchpin in global supply chains and a...

Economics