Gantry cranes stand near stacked shipping containers at Yangshan Port outside Shanghai, China, May 7, 2026 (REUTERS)

    China’s trade gap is narrowing. And other surprises

    China’s GDP growth figures are often suspiciously smooth. Last year the government set a target of 5%—and the sprawling $19trn economy duly grew by just that amount, as if the combined endeavours of 760m workers and 30m corporations could be choreographed by a committee. This year the government has permitted itself half a percentage point…

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    A Made-in-China plan for world domination

    A Made-in-China plan for world domination

    CHINA’S INDUSTRIAL might is hard to capture in numbers. The country accounts for more than 30% of global manufacturing, or more than America, Germany, Japan and South Korea combined. That figure understates the growing terror that Chinese-made stuff inspires in foreign competitors and governments alike. PREMIUM Flags flutter near Tiananmen Square ahead of the 80th…

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    Trump Tariffs: Bessent, Lutnick Hail Japan Finance Pledge as EU Trade Talks Loom

    Trump Tariffs: Bessent, Lutnick Hail Japan Finance Pledge as EU Trade Talks Loom

    Two of President Donald Trump’s top trade negotiators hailed their approach toward addressing trade grievances with Japan as a possible incentive for the European Union, as negotiations come to a head before an Aug. 1 deadline. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television that Japan’s pledge of hundreds of billions…

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