Beijing and Washington may be set to revive dormant military communication channels but it is just a first step and the two sides are still some way from genuine trust, an observer has cautioned. The assessment followed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement on social media on Sunday that the two countries had “agreed that…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Southeast Asian nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea. Speaking at a meeting in Malaysia with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Hegseth reiterated U.S. concern…
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun in person for the first time on Friday, with both sides saying they are pushing for peace a day after a summit between their presidents brought tensions down. The discussion on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Malaysia was the…
If the US hopes to rebuild a competitive shipbuilding industry and narrow China’s commanding lead, it should adopt some lessons from Beijing – emphasising long-term planning, steady government funding and policy consistency, witnesses told a US Senate hearing this week. China’s phenomenal rise in the global shipbuilding sector has caught the attention of Washington’s policymakers…
Highly anticipated talks between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Apec summit are set for Thursday in Busan, South Korea – some 85km (53 miles) from the forum’s main events in Gyeongju – and security considerations could explain why as the two seek to make headway on issues that have left…
China and 11-member regional bloc sign an upgraded version of their free trade pact, as both weather the impact of the US tariffs. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have upgraded their free trade agreement as trade between the two regions continues to rise in the shadow of…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement Tuesday with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with his country as an alternative to the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. Li Qiang told an ASEAN-China summit meeting after…
Trade tensions between the U.S. and China appear to have cooled, just days ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump, who arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with both sides saying they were close to a potential agreement. If a trade…
President Trump’s closely-watched summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is set for this Thursday in South Korea with increasing expectations after the weekend of advance talks have resulted in an environment that both sides say could be conducive to compromise. “I believe we’ve reached a very substantial framework that will avoid [a tariff hike] and…
Trump expressed confidence in the ability of U.S. and Chinese negotiators to fashion an agreement that stops the cycle of tit-for-tat tariffs and export-control reprisals that have characterized U.S.-China trade relations since April. “I think we’re going to have a good deal with China. I think if we make a deal, it’s going to be…