6 h. ago US, China trade officials to meet in Malaysia amid escalating rare earths dispute

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday that he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would travel to Malaysia later that day as scheduled to meet with Chinese officials over what he called Beijing’s “incredibly aggressive” measures to curb rare earth exports. The meeting is seen as a stepping stone to a sit-down in South Korea next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a time of...

Politics

23 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

37 h. ago Can Scott Bessent see China’s trade counterstrike with clear eyes?

After a video call last Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng are expected to meet in Malaysia this week to hopefully ease tensions before US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping potentially meet on the sidelines of this year’s Apec summit. The meeting was in doubt when Trump threatened to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on China, despite later relenting that it might not be sustainable. Washington blamed Beijing for the escalation,...

Events

37 h. ago The View | Can Scott Bessent see China’s trade counterstrike with clear eyes?

The View | Can Scott Bessent see China’s trade counterstrike with clear eyes?  South China Morning Post

Events

51 h. ago China fires top trade negotiator after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls him ‘unhinged’

China fires top trade negotiator after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls him ‘unhinged’  New York Post

Events

54 h. ago Beijing contradicts Australia's claims on 'unsafe' aerial interaction over South China Sea

Beijing contradicts Australia's claims on 'unsafe' aerial interaction over South China Sea  Anadolu Ajansı

Politics

55 h. ago South China Sea: Australia accuses China of dropping flares near its jet; Beijing claims intrusion

South China Sea: Australia accuses China of dropping flares near its jet; Beijing claims intrusion  Times of India

Politics

4 d. ago Top US and China envoys set trade talks after ‘constructive’ phone call

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a phone call on Saturday morning and stated that trade negotiators from their countries would meet next week. “This evening, Vice-Premier He Lifeng and I engaged in frank and detailed discussions regarding trade between the United States and China,” Bessent wrote on social media on Friday evening in Washington. “We will meet in person next week to continue our discussions.” In a separate read-out, China described He’s...

Politics

4 d. ago Top US and China envoys set trade talks after ‘constructive’ video call

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a video call on Saturday morning and stated that trade negotiators from their countries would meet next week. “This evening, Vice-Premier He Lifeng and I engaged in frank and detailed discussions regarding trade between the United States and China,” Bessent wrote on social media on Friday evening in Washington. “We will meet in person next week to continue our discussions.” In a separate read-out, China described He’s...

Politics

4 d. ago Top US and China trade envoys set for talks after ‘constructive’ video call

China and the United States are set to hold fresh trade talks next week, following a video call between Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Saturday morning Beijing time. “Vice-Premier He Lifeng and I engaged in frank and detailed discussions regarding trade between the United States and China,” Bessent wrote on social media after their call. “We will meet in person next week to continue our discussions.” In its readout, China described He’s discussions with...

Politics

5 d. ago Micron is preparing to exit China’s data center memory market completely, report claims — Beijing banned company's chips from 'critical information infrastructure' in 2023

Micron is preparing to exit China’s data center memory market completely, report claims — Beijing banned company's chips from 'critical information infrastructure' in 2023  Tom's Hardware

Events

5 d. ago 'They forced me to do it': Trump says high tariffs on China 'not sustainable'; claims Beijing 'ripped off

'They forced me to do it': Trump says high tariffs on China 'not sustainable'; claims Beijing 'ripped off  Times of India

Politics

5 d. ago US threats to decouple from China only expose its own vulnerability

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After Beijing announced sweeping export controls last week on rare earths and other critical minerals, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went ballistic. “Maybe there is some Leninist business model where hurting your customers is a good idea, but they are the largest supplier to the world,” he said. Someone from Beijing might have retorted that Washington has been running on some fascist business model whereby it is upending the entire global trade...

Events

6 d. ago The squeeze is on: Beijing and Washington flex muscles as narrative war heats up

As China and the United States accuse each other of provoking the latest escalation in trade tensions and disrupting the world economy, analysts say both share a goal in their war of words: applying maximum pressure until a deal is struck. In the past few days, Washington has framed the recent flare-up in relations as “China versus the world”, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting on Wednesday that Beijing’s restrictions on the export of rare earth elements unveiled last week made...

Events

6 d. ago US phones allies over rare earths, China’s food security: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘This is China versus the world’: US calls allies over Beijing rare earth curbs US President Donald Trump’s administration vowed on Wednesday to work with its allies and other countries to get an upper hand in its trade talks with China, claiming Beijing’s recent rare earth control as a sign of being an “unreliable partner” that threatens global supply...

Events

6 d. ago Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slams China as Beijing threatens "hellfire" over trade war

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slams China as Beijing threatens "hellfire" over trade war  tag24.com

Events

6 d. ago After India, US tells Japan to stop importing Russian energy

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that he told Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato that the Trump administration expects Japan to stop importing Russian energy. “Minister Kato and I also discussed important issues pertaining to the US-Japan economic relationship and the Administration’s expectation that Japan stop importing Russian energy,” Bessent said on social media after the two met on Wednesday. Bessent and Kato met on the sidelines of the annual International...

Politics

7 d. ago Starmer releases China spy case evidence referring to Beijing as a threat after cover

Starmer releases China spy case evidence referring to Beijing as a threat after cover-up claims  lbc.co.uk

Events

7 d. ago Scott Bessent rips ‘unhinged’ Chinese trade negotiator, announces ‘price floors’ in latest Beijing pushback

Scott Bessent rips ‘unhinged’ Chinese trade negotiator, announces ‘price floors’ in latest Beijing pushback  New York Post

Politics

7 d. ago ‘This is China versus the world’: US calls allies over Beijing rare earth curbs

US President Donald Trump’s administration vowed on Wednesday to work with its allies and other countries to get an upper hand in its trade talks with China, claiming Beijing’s recent rare earth control as a sign of being an “unreliable partner” that threatens global supply chains. The remarks marked the latest in a series of threatened countermeasures, as Trump officials have previously announced 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods from November 1 and also struck back on such targets like...

Politics