11 h. ago China, US trade talks start in Kuala Lumpur ahead of possible Xi

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have started a new round of trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, paving the way for a possible meeting between the presidents of the world’s two largest economies. The two sides are expected to discuss issues crucial to China-US economic and trade relations, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Thursday. The meeting in the Malaysian capital marks the fifth face-to-face meeting between He and Bessent since US President Donald...

Politics

21 h. ago Trump deploys world’s largest aircraft carrier amid soaring Venezuela tensions

US President Donald Trump dramatically escalated a US military build-up in the Caribbean on Friday by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, a show of force that far exceeds any past counter-narcotics need and represents Washington’s most muscular move yet in the Latin America region. “The enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of...

Politics

25 h. ago China to tackle risks, ‘inject certainty’ into global economy over next 5 years

In the face of an increasingly turbulent world, China will employ “strategic proactiveness” as it addresses growing risks and challenges, senior officials said at a Friday press conference detailing the country’s priorities under its next five-year plan. The world’s second-largest economy will shift more attention to the development of its domestic market amid global uncertainty, focusing on the production of tangible goods and technological advancements to ensure growth “remains within a...

Events

26 h. ago Crypto tycoon Zhao Changpeng to make big comeback after Trump pardon: analysts

Freshly pardoned by US President Donald Trump, Binance founder Zhao Changpeng is expected to return at the helm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily turnover, according to analysts. The Chinese-born Canadian entrepreneur, widely known as CZ, received a pardon after he pleaded guilty to breaking US anti-money-laundering laws and went to prison for four months, part of a US$4.3 billion settlement with the US government to resolve a years-long investigation into...

Politics

31 h. ago China and US must halt escalating weaponisation of trade, Chinese scholar urges

China and the United States should refrain from weaponising more aspects of their relationship, a Chinese scholar has urged, as the world’s two largest economies prepare to hold a fresh round of negotiations to cool down a recent flare-up in tensions. “It’s very important that the two sides need to have some kind of self-restraint,” said Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, at the Bund Summit in Shanghai on Thursday. “Stop trying to find new...

Events

45 h. ago Binance founder Zhao pardoned by Trump in latest crypto clemency

Binance co-founder Zhao Changpeng has received a pardon from US President Donald Trump after he went to prison for failing to safeguard the world’s largest crypto exchange against money laundering. “President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Zhao wrote in a social media post that he was “deeply grateful for today’s pardon and...

Politics

60 h. ago Hilton to launch new brands in China as it seeks to expand presence to more than 300 cities

Global hotel chain operator Hilton plans to introduce new brands to mainland China, aiming to meet evolving lifestyle demands amid its rapid expansion in the world’s second-largest economy. Qian Jin, president of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia, said in an interview this week that the US hospitality group remained bullish on the mainland’s market, where Gen Z consumers and millennials’ pursuit of cultural and personal enrichment created a new growth engine for international hotel brands. “From...

Politics

60 h. ago Hilton to launch new brands in China, eyes presence in 320 cities

Global hotel chain operator Hilton plans to introduce new brands to mainland China, aiming to meet evolving lifestyle demands amid its rapid expansion in the world’s second-largest economy. Qian Jin, president of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia, said in an interview this week that the US hospitality group remained bullish on the mainland’s market, where Gen Z consumers and millennials’ pursuit of cultural and personal enrichment created a new growth engine for international hotel brands. “From...

Politics

60 h. ago Hilton to prioritise luxury in China, eyes presence in 320 destinations

Global hotel chain operator Hilton plans to double down on brands that can meet evolving lifestyle demands and offer luxury experiences in mainland China, reinforcing its rapid expansion in the world’s second-largest economy. Qian Jin, president of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia, said in an interview this week that the US hospitality group remained bullish on the mainland’s market, where Gen Z consumers and millennials’ pursuit of cultural and personal enrichment created a new growth engine...

Politics

3 d. ago HKEX vets 300 listing applications after city ascends as world’s top IPO market

Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), which topped this year’s global rankings as the largest initial public offering (IPO) market, said the city continued to see strong momentum, as it vets hundreds of new listing applications. Bonnie Chan Yiting, CEO of HKEX, on Wednesday said at an event in Shanghai that Hong Kong has more than 300 companies in the listing pipeline, which would ensure another strong quarter for fundraising in the city. “International investors have been...

Economics

3 d. ago Can Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

3 d. ago Can Donald Trump’s gut instinct win over Xi Jinping at Apec summit?

US President Donald Trump is expected to approach his coming summit with Xi Jinping by relying on personal chemistry and his “gut”, but his ability to charm the Chinese leader will be limited at best, analysts and former government officials in Washington said on Tuesday. The first meeting in six years between the heads of the world’s two largest economies is expected to take place shortly before the October 31-November 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea. Among the topics...

Politics

4 d. ago US appeals court says Trump can deploy National Guard troops in Portland

A divided US appeals court ruled on Monday that Donald Trump can send National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon, despite objections by the leaders of the city and state, giving the Republican president an important legal victory as he dispatches military forces to a growing number of Democratic-led locales. A three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Justice Department’s request to put on hold a judge’s order that had blocked the deployment while a legal challenge to...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s rare earth magnet exports to US plunge 29% as tensions simmer

The decline in China’s exports of rare earth magnets to the United States accelerated in September – a period predating Beijing’s expansion of controls over the flow of the critical minerals – an indication the prized items remain a major battleground in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. China’s total exports to the US of the permanent magnets – essential components in manufacturing for several hi-tech industries, including electric vehicles and defence – reached...

Events

5 d. ago China’s soybean imports surge as orders to US hit zero and American farmers fret

China imported no soybeans from the United States in September, but total imports remained at high levels amid a recent escalation in the US-China trade war, the latest Chinese customs data showed. Last month, the world’s largest food buyer purchased 12.8 million tonnes of soybeans – a crop heavily reliant on imports for its livestock industry – with a notable surge from Argentina during a brief suspension of export taxes, according to the detailed customs data released on Monday. The absence of...

Events

5 d. ago China’s naval ‘genius’; 2 million Filipinos’ jobs on the line: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US call centre bill threatens Philippines’ US$30 billion outsourcing boom 2. Chinachem Tower blaze in Hong Kong’s Central put out after 4-hour battle, 4 hurt 3. The aircraft carrier champion and naval genius behind China’s blue sea strategy 4. Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘An impossible dream’? South Korea wants to be among top 4 defence exporters

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday that the country would devote a “larger-than-expected budget” in defence and aerospace research until 2030 as it sought to build the world’s fourth-largest defence industry. Lee was speaking at South Korea’s largest-ever arms fair, the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition 2025, where companies showed off new unmanned and artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons from howitzers to suicide drones in pursuit of more global defence...

Politics

6 d. ago China, India and Brazil set to steer global climate change agenda at Cop30

As the West falters in its commitment to fighting climate change, analysts expect emerging economies led by China, India and Brazil to seize the initiative at next month’s UN climate summit. The Cop30 conference, from November 10 to 21 in the Brazilian city of Belem, comes as the United States under Donald Trump remains largely disengaged from climate challenges following his successive orders to withdraw the world’s largest economy from the 2015 Paris Agreement, while Europe’s attention appears...

Politics

7 d. ago The aircraft carrier champion and naval genius behind China’s blue sea strategy

The commissioning of the Fujian, China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, will mark yet another milestone in the country’s naval ambition. Behind this gigantic symbol of China’s maritime power lies the vision of one man: Admiral Liu Huaqing, who famously said that he would not die peacefully until his country had an aircraft carrier. The former commander of the Chinese navy was also a revered strategist and a visionary technocrat who directed the comprehensive modernisation of China’s...

Transport

8 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