The first test for a much-celebrated US–China trade truce is looming. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes to finalise a rare earth deal by next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, but experts say a breakthrough is unlikely as the two sides maintain sharply different narratives of what was discussed and agreed on key issues. From rare earths…
The Trump administration should expand the United States’ weapons arsenal, international partnerships and signaling to counter China’s rising influence globally and deter the People’s Liberation Army as its 2027 deadline for being ready to invade Taiwan approaches, U.S. analysts and a lawmaker said this week. Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted one of his nation’s largest-ever…
China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the second of this four-part series, we look at how its massive defence industry can support China’s military goals, and during wartime could be further bolstered by the civilian manufacturing sector. In the northeastern city of Shenyang, the future of…
A Chinese blockade could cut Taiwan’s electrical generating capacity so much that the island is unable to function, according to war games conducted by a U.S. think tank. “Energy is the weakest element in Taiwan’s resilience against coercion,” warned the report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The overwhelming preponderance of energy…