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News about international trade flows, statistics and policy decisions from the world’s most important trading economies and trade-related bodies, including the World Trade Organisation.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Photo: AP
US-China relations

US treasury secretary amplifies Trump’s threat to Canada over China dealings

Scott Bessent warns Washington will not allow Canada to become an ‘opening’ for cheap goods for China to pour into the US.

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Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Trade finance in Hong Kong set for a competitive tech upgrade

China economy

Opinion | Talk of digital yuan challenging dollar dominance misses real power shift

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European Union

Opinion | In dealing with Trump, Europe must realise power respects power

Instead of outsourcing its defence capacity to Washington and limiting economic ties with Beijing, the EU should focus on building leverage.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
India

EU envoys top guests at India celebration to seal trade deal

India and the EU have tried to cut dependence on Russia and the US respectively by diversifying imports and pushing their own domestic manufacturing.

Singapore

How Johor-Singapore SEZ is delivering for businesses a year on

While the zone has attracted sizeable investment since its launch last year, experts call for better coordination to ensure seamless operations.

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Malaysia

Gloves are off as Malaysia’s strong ringgit bites into producers’ profits

The ringgit climbed more than 10 per cent against the dollar last year, squeezing the bottom line of the export-reliant market.

A worker inspects disposable gloves at Top Glove’s factory in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP
China trade

Vietnam grabs bigger slice of China’s durian market as Thailand loses ground

Vietnam’s exports of the pungent fruit to China rose by US$500 million in 2025 as the country emerges as a serious rival to Thailand.

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US-China relations

Trump admin pushes out US official whose unit banned Chinese vehicles

Elizabeth Cannon’s departure comes shortly after the US Commerce Department dropped a plan to restrict Chinese drones.

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US-China trade war

At America’s biggest retail show, the China question never really goes away

Tariffs may ebb and supply chains may detour, but US shoppers – and giants like Walmart and Amazon – still rely heavily on Chinese goods.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-Kuen
China exports

Explainer | How are US tariffs and trade barriers redrawing China’s export map?

While exports to the US fell last year, other markets more than made up the difference.

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Containers awaiting shipment at the Longtan Container Terminal in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on January 14. Photo: AFP
China food security

Rooted in resilience: how China’s seed push has planted agricultural ‘chips’

Domestic varieties claiming bigger market shares for key crops and livestock, curbing reliance on foreign sources for vital food production.

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US-China relations

China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions: analysts

Beijing to focus on maintaining its ‘constructive relationship with US’ and does not need to ‘disrupt that over Greenland’, say experts.

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US-China relations

US and Canada drift apart on China as Ottawa rethinks Beijing ties

Policy gaps are emerging after PM Mark Carney struck a wide-ranging deal with Beijing, testing past US-Canada alignment, analysts say.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Chinese President Xi Jinping last week that “together we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past”. Photo: Reuters
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Indonesia’s Prabowo pitches stability at Davos amid rising global tensions

Prabowo says Indonesia aims to stamp out corruption and ‘greedanomics’, and calls for trade integration to help boost global prosperity.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Jimmy Lai trial

Beijing, Hong Kong slam European bid to sanction officials over Jimmy Lai trial

Resolution in response to conviction of former media boss also calls for rethink of city’s trade status under World Trade Organization.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

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India

India, EU ramp up push for ‘historic’ free-trade deal amid US tariff tensions

A trade pact with the EU would offer an ‘alternative market’ for Indian goods amid a fraught global environment, analysts say.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, in February 2025. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Macroscope | Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump

Despite being equipped with powerful tools in its economic arsenal, Brussels lacks the leverage needed to keep Washington in check.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘No choice’: China seen eyeing consumption as a route out of export reliance

Beijing’s policies seen putting income growth above GDP, with investments in social welfare, future tech and advanced manufacturing to spur internal demand.

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Japan

Japan’s conservatives turn sour on Trump as ‘fears of abandonment’ deepen

Right-wing media outlets and politicians are now concerned that Trump’s second term will harm Japan’s trade and security interests.

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on board the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the Japanese city of Yokosuka in October. Photo: AFP
Commodities

China unveils 18-point plan to boost global non-ferrous metals pricing power

The move is aimed at strengthening the links between the futures, spot and derivatives markets for non-ferrous metals and Shanghai’s role.

Currently, 11 non-ferrous metals futures contracts and 10 options, including copper, are listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

Trump’s decision to sell AI chips to China under pressure as House bill advances

A key Republican challenges White House AI czar and Nvidia despite Maga backlash; it must still pass both chambers and get Trump’s signature.

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US-China trade war

Beijing-Ottawa deal reinforces China’s dominance in EV industry, analysts say

New agreement is set to significantly boost Chinese carmakers’ global expansion and offers easier entry into the North American EV market.

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European Union

Explainer | What is the ‘trade bazooka’ the EU may use against Trump’s Greenland threats?

Under pressure from the US president, the bloc is considering measures that could inflict billions of dollars of losses on American firms.

A protester holds a placard reading ‘Stop Trump’ during a rally in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, before the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Photo: EPA
United States

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

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US President Donald Trump waves to the audience after his speech during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo: AP
China-Africa relations

China widens trade gap with Africa to record US$102 billion amid US pressure

Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.

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Donald Trump

How Asia’s economies could benefit from Trump’s global power plays

Countries such as Canada are looking to diversify their customers, particularly for oil and gas, with ‘a strong focus on Asia’, analysts say.

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