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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.
Employees work on an assembly line producing smartphone holders at a plastic-accessories factory in China’s Guangdong province earlier this month. Rising oil prices are driving up production costs for plastic manufacturers. Photo: Reuters
China trade

‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing

Analysts and industry insiders say higher costs are squeezing margins, with some of China’s wary industrial heartland compelled to make day-to-day purchases.

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US-China trade war

Trump’s tariff powers tested again as court questions ‘deficit’ justification

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United States

Trump tariff refund tool will go live on April 20, US Customs says

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s Hormuz toll threat lays bare Asia’s energy vulnerability

Analysts warn that charging ships to pass through Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent for other strategic waterways and hit Asia hardest.

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Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, on March 11. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong economy

Is oil crisis just the start of economic pain for Hongkongers?

With diesel and petrol prices in city highest in the world, analysts warn that consumers will inevitably feel the impact in their wallets.

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China economy

Opinion | Why Latin America is becoming indispensable to China

Latin America fits Beijing’s need for alternative partners with uncomfortable precision. That is a problem for Washington.

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China-Latin America relations

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

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People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China. Brazil’s beef exporters are rapidly filling their quota for China, leaving them now seeking new buyers. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Donald Trump

Trump’s tariff threat on European cars escalates global trade tensions

The US president said he will impose a 20 per cent tariff on all EU car imports, which could broaden a trade war already sparked with China.

US, Israel war on Iran

Yuan tokens and oil-linked fees? China experts propose ‘innovative’ Hormuz tolls

Analysts warn Trump’s ‘joint venture’ plan with Iran could formalise grey zone, while Beijing balances roles as mediator, energy importer.

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US-China relations

How can Beijing prepare for Trump’s ‘drunken boxing’ style before he meets Xi?

As Trump loomed large in both Iran war and subsequent pause, analysts weigh the importance of rhetoric vs results in his talks with China.

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Commentators say the US president’s volatile, and often contradictory, negotiation style may be effective and parties across the table should react to his actions, not his words. Photo: AP
Yuan

Conflict catalyst: China’s yuan settlements hit record amid Middle East tensions

Single-day transactions via China’s Cross-border Interbank Payment System surge past 1 trillion yuan as Beijing’s moves to expand the yuan-payment network show signs of paying off.

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People are seen at a booth promoting China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System during a financial exhibition in Beijing. Photo: Getty Images
Asean

US to remain key ally of Asean despite Iran war fallout: diplomat

Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink says the US still has ‘extraordinary’ influence in the region, given its trade and security ties with Asean.

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Artificial intelligence

AI fuels global trade growth as China-US flows shift, McKinsey finds

Data-centre expansion and AI investment push global trade ahead of economic growth, consultancy says.

China-Latin America relations

Chile exposes smuggling ring that shipped US$917m in stolen copper to China

Chilean investigators dismantled cross-border networks after one of largest organised crime operations in South American country’s history.

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Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast, who took office in March, has made organised crime a central focus of his government’s first months. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

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Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates last month. Photo: AP
Canada

Canada’s Carney on verge of majority after another Conservative MP jumps ship

Marilyn Gladu’s defection means the PM is just one seat short of the majority he says he needs to deal with Trump.

Africa

Opinion | Beijing’s supply-chain hedging strategy can help African food security

While governments must avoid swapping one dependency for another, Beijing’s inroads could help enhance food security efforts.

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United States

Trump lauds Beijing role in Iran truce, but clouds ceasefire with tariff threat

Markets rise on fragile pause in fighting, as Tehran keeps Hormuz shut and warns it may abandon deal if Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue.

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US officials have accused Chinese firms of supplying dual-use materials that could support Iran’s missile and drone programmes. Photo: Reuters
China trade

China enforces new supply chain security rules as Iran war shakes markets

The new regulation makes protecting China’s supply chains a national security issue – and allows Beijing to punish any entities that threaten them.

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China trade

Explaining China’s supply chain security rules

SCMP Plus annotates 18-point regulation issued by China’s State Council providing a legal basis for the country to respond to sanctions and export controls that threaten supply chains.

Myanmar

Fuel crisis at planting season threatens Myanmar’s fragile economy

Rising fertiliser costs and fuel rationing have affected farmers’ productivity, but Myanmar has little capital to replenish these stocks.

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An employee refuels a vehicle at a petrol station amid rising prices in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 20. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How AI and geopolitical rivalry are breaking economic orthodoxy

Today’s imbalances go beyond exchange rates; they reflect concentrated technological investment in one economy and uneven risks in others.

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A data centre is seen from above on October 20, 2025, in Vernon, California. Photo: Getty Images / TNS
2026 Trump-Xi summit

Only virtual talks, no new investment push before Xi-Trump summit: Greer

US Trade Representative underscores US seeks substantial tariffs, unhindered rare earth access, and a stability-preserving leaders’ meeting.

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Malaysia

Iran ‘does not forget its friends’ as Malaysia-linked ships pass through Hormuz

The move signals Tehran’s use of access to Hormuz as leverage, analysts say, while drawing scrutiny over Malaysia’s oil transfers.

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China energy security

China starts work on solar plant under extreme conditions, amid energy crisis

Beijing will build the world’s highest-altitude parabolic trough solar thermal facility on the Tibet Plateau to diversify power sources.

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China has broken ground on a 50-megawatt concentrated solar power plant in Tibet at an altitude of 4,550 metres (14,900 feet), making it the world’s highest-altitude parabolic trough solar thermal facility. Photo: handout
Singapore

Singapore set to be hit by global energy crisis as it unveils countermeasures

Among the measures, the government announced an increase of US$155 to a cost-of-living cash payment to eligible Singaporeans.

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Storage tanks and oil refineries in Jurong Island, Singapore. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Most in Asean prefer China over US in survey, Trump cited as biggest concern

Support for China was stronger in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey.

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South Korea

South Korea aims to send ships to Saudi port for oil to bypass Hormuz

Special envoys will also sail to Oman and Algeria to try to secure oil via other routes, said lawmaker Ahn Do-geol.

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