In an unprecedented act of defiance, Beijing has ordered Chinese businesses to ignore the United States’ sanctions against Iran. Chairman Xi Jinping is due to meet President Donald Trump for personal talks in the coming days. And a lot has changed since their last Beijing soiree in 2017. Trade is a deeply entrenched battleground between…
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s ultra-hot heat pump breakthrough paves way for melting ore…
China is estimated to have secured more than half of the 12 million tonnes of soybeans that Washington says Beijing committed to purchase by early 2026, based on US government data and market conventions that analysts say usually indicate China, though little has been shipped so far, heightening concerns over potential cancellations. While the US…
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday took steps to de-escalate their trade war, swapping some U.S. tariff reductions and tighter export controls for a pause in Beijing’s new restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets and a resumption of its purchases of American soybeans. The…
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed plans to speak with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Friday in a further sign of easing tensions ahead of a potential meeting between the two countries’ leaders. “The vice-premier, who is my counterpart, and I will be speaking this evening at around 8.30, 9 o’clock,” Bessent said at the…
The mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party has urged the nation to break through technological “choke points” and avoid becoming “subordinate to other nations” in a series spotlighting the country’s achievements in hi-tech industries. The series of editorials comes as Beijing prepares to outline its next five-year plan and amid a renewed escalation in trade…
US President Donald Trump’s latest threat of an extra 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods has left exporters in China on edge, with many scrambling to ship their products before the tariffs take effect. Some hope that the tariffs might be lifted at the last moment, as has happened with previous measures, but most…
President Trump ratcheted up tariff and trade tensions with China on Friday. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the US would impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting on Nov. 1, 2025. The president said the move was prompted by China taking an “extraordinarily aggressive” position on trade by announcing…