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

China trade

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

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US-China relations

Trump admin pushes out US official whose unit banned Chinese vehicles

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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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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 President Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for Greenland to become part of the United States, but China is content to keep a close eye on the situation in the short term. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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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Jimmy Lai faces life in prison after being convicted by a Hong Kong court of national security offences. Photo: Reuters
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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President Xi Jinping attends a high-level reception to ring in the Lunar New Year at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on January 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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 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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Zhu Min, a former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, spoke during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Photo: SCMPOST
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.

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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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last Friday, where the pair announced a new strategic partnership that will open Canada up to Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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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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Workers load trucks for export to Africa at Yantai port in Shandong province this month. The jump in Africa’s trade deficit with China was driven by a 25.8 per cent surge in Chinese exports, outpacing 5.4 per cent growth in African shipments to China. Photo: AFP
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.

An illustration shows a 3D-printed miniature model of US President Donald Trump, the EU flag and the word “Tariffs”. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

It’s a calculated choice to keep growth, infrastructure momentum and policy space alive in a world that punishes the economically exposed.

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China trade

China should leverage buying power to boost yuan’s use, former PBOC adviser says

With the yuan’s fixing at fresh 2023 highs and US dollar uncertainty rising under Trump, Beijing is urged to expand yuan-settled imports to internationalise its currency.

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Middle East

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Electric & new energy vehicles

Editorial | China’s EV industry should focus on consolidation at home, expansion abroad

With Beijing discouraging ‘irrational competition’, the fewer brands with greater scale that emerge from the consolidation wave should look to opportunities abroad.

Workers assemble Zeekr models at a plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on April 17, 2025. Photo: AP
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Macron urges Europe to hit back against Trump’s threats

French president advocates use of the EU’s anti-coercion mechanism against US tariffs, as he warns of moving ‘towards a world without rules’.

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China-EU relations

EU moves to force Huawei out of networks, opening door to wider China tech bans

European Commission plan would make vendor removals mandatory within three years and allow broader curbs if China is deemed a cyber risk.

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