TOPIC

Trade

Related Topics:
Trade
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.
The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is seen on Thursday in China’s Zhejiang province. The nation’s trade resilience has been attributed to its fastest-growing sectors having limited exposure to the United States. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

Developing | As China’s US exports plunge, Beijing banks on diversification for 2026 growth

Shipments to Asean and Africa surged to drive a record US$1.19 trillion surplus for China, offsetting headwinds as leaders push to boost local demand.

10
China-India relations

Building bridges? India proposes inviting Chinese firms back to public projects

videocam
6
US-China trade war

US government approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China

videocam
15
Singapore

Singapore urged to expand Johor SEZ to Indonesia to deepen Asean integration

The city state’s business federation and accounting firm PwC Singapore say such a move will ramp up the region’s allure to global investors.

Vehicles travel across the causeway linking Malaysia’s southern Johor state to Singapore on Friday. Photo: AFP
China manufacturing

Fears over China’s trade surplus misplaced as West also driving trend: analysts

China’s global manufacturing dominance is a tale of two halves; reliant on home-grown industrial growth and Western consumption, experts say.

videocam
4
Vietnam

As Vietnam’s US trade surplus outpaces China, Trump tries to fix ‘imbalance’

Jennifer Wicks McNamara is set to replace Marc Knapper as US ambassador to Vietnam as Hanoi’s trade surplus with US surpasses Beijing for first time.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
India

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

videocam
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for an appointment on Monday as part of his state visit to India. Photo: dpa
Donald Trump

Video | Trump slaps 25% extra tariffs on Iran’s trading partners

Trump announces tariffs ‘effective immediately’ on economies doing business with Tehran, including India and China, Iran’s largest trading partner.

China-EU relations

China-EU deal on EVs marks rare agreement in frosty relations

The EU will waive tariffs on China-made battery electric vehicles if carmakers set a minimum price that offsets the effect of subsidies.

China-EU relations

Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry

To break the pattern of trade escalations with Beijing, Brussels must move beyond tariffs and invest in its own competitiveness.

videocam
Employees work on the assembly line of vehicles at a workshop of FAW-Volkswagen on December 9, 2025, in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
US-China relations

China’s US embassy decries ‘coercion’ after Trump’s Iran tariff move

China’s embassy opposes Washington’s ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ after Trump announces a 25 per cent tariff on countries doing business with Iran.

videocam
115
An Iranian police officer watches over a pro-government rally in Tehran on January 12. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
China-Latin America relations

Argentina’s Milei plans 2026 China trip despite US pressure on ties

Leader cites China as a key trade partner, underscoring a sharp shift from his 2023 campaign attacks to a more pragmatic stance.

videocam
11
China trade

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 amid China row

Amid fears of potential mineral export curbs by Beijing, Japanese industry is bracing, and Tokyo appears keen on a united international response.

videocam
9
China trade

China pledges green-energy push with Global South, signals wider market opening

Sixth entry in Communist Party mouthpiece’s editorial series calls domestic market ‘world’s rarest resource’, vows supply-chain support to aid industrialisation.

Solar panels are seen in May at the China-Africa Green Technology Park in Mauritania. Solar panels and microgrid projects built by Chinese firms in Africa have electrified local communities, according to a People’s Daily commentary. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea

Tokyo has been reducing its dependence on China for the critical minerals amid a major diplomatic dispute with Beijing.

videocam
5
Japan’s deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu is anchored at a pier in Shimizu port, Shizuoka prefecture, in 2013. Photo: AFP
India

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

Merz’s visit is his first to an Asian country since he took office, ahead of a planned EU-India summit and as they work on a free-trade agreement.

Singapore

Singapore businesses list rising costs and tariffs as their biggest challenges

A new survey shows supply chain difficulties, unfamiliarity with new markets, and lack of funding are also key hurdles for local firms.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong firm aims to build 30,000 modular flats a year with Saudi partner

AluHouse and Saudi Arabian partner will build factory to produce prefabricated flats and meet rising demand for homes in the Middle East.

The Saudi capital Riyadh. The country’s rapid growth has led to a surge in housing demand. Photo: Shutterstock
European Union

‘Sell out’: Irish farmers out in force against EU-Mercosur trade deal

Farmers fear the deal will result in an influx of an extra 99,000 tonnes of cheap beef from South America, disrupting Irish agriculture.

China exports

Goodwill or necessity? Why is China slashing solar and battery subsidies?

Analysts expect policy will signal to Europe that Beijing is interested in serious trade relations and is a good partner.

videocam
4
US-China relations

US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

Commerce Department, FCC make U-turn after barring imports of new Chinese drone models in December to address national security concerns.

videocam
30
A US farmer uses a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm in Hickory, North Carolina. The Trump administration has dropped a plan to impose restrictions on Chinese-made drones. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

videocam
31
Illustration: Brian Wang
European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

Alibaba

Alibaba logistics unit Cainiao opens US-Mexico cross-border service

Cainiao is expected to control key nodes including sorting, line-haul transfer and last-mile delivery for the service.

China trade

With US focused on Venezuela, China has window to pressure Japan: analysts

Beijing’s trade actions raise stakes with Tokyo, as China’s rare earth power and Japan’s chip dominance are seen as potentially key levers in their bilateral dispute.

videocam
13
A worker helps make semiconductor chips for export at a factory in China’s Shandong province. Japan has a commanding market share in semiconductor equipment and materials. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Editorial | For South Korea to reset relations with China, it must withstand US pressure

The South Korean president’s visit to China was a sign of a more pragmatic approach that departs from that of his US-leaning predecessor.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (left) takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone following a state dinner in Beijing, China, on January 5. Photo: EPA/Yonhap/Pool
Malaysia

Ankara anchor: Malaysia finds Turkey ‘reliable friend’ in stormy global waters

Trump’s tariffs and actions in Venezuela are causing the Global South to look for less mercurial partners, analysts say.

Asean

Why investors continue betting on Southeast Asia amid global tensions

The region’s young labour force, rapid urbanisation and emergence as a tech hotspot have made it attractive to investors, analysts say.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement