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US-ally trade wars

US-ally trade wars
The latest news, analysis and opinion on US-ally trade wars. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, in August 2025. The US is India’s largest export market, receiving about 18 per cent of its total goods exports. Photo: AFP
India

Trump’s 500% tariff push raises risk of India-US trade freeze

Such punitive tariffs would erode India’s export competitiveness and force the country to reorient its trade elsewhere, analysts warn.

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US-China trade war

Trump sets 180-day deadline to counter China’s control of critical minerals

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United States

Not ‘Trump-compatible’? China expert Rudd exits Australia’s US ambassador role

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US-China trade war

Trade reset? China, Canada look to revive ties after US tariffs force rethink

Crude, copper and iron top Canada’s exports to China, as prime minister seeks to mend relationship with Beijing.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carne shakes hands with President Xi Jinping at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: AP
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.

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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.

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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.

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

Canada

Trump’s Venezuela and Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next

The shock capture of Maduro and talk of seizing the Arctic island are forcing Canadians to take Trump’s 51st state threats seriously.

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In December 2024, US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself standing on mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!”. Image: Truth Social/realDonaldTrump
Canada

Canada’s Carney to meet Xi in China, as Trump tariffs hurt US ties

PM Mark Carney will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for trade and other talks in first such trip by a Canadian leader in nearly a decade.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, in October. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
India

‘Buyers are indefinitely gone’: Indian exporters lay bare pain from tariffs

The slow-moving trade talks and steep levies are hurting major sectors, forcing firms to seek new markets and offer deep discounts.

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India

Trump threatens India with tariff hikes to abandon Russian oil for trade deal

With Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham proposing 500 per cent tariffs, New Delhi faces ‘hard choice’ between Russian oil and vital US trade access.

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India

‘It’s paying off’: India spreads its trade bets to beat Trump’s 50% tariff

With exports hitting a record US$825 billion and a spate of new trade pacts, India is finding success diversifying away from the US.

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A man stands in a currency exchange shop in Mumbai. India has been stepping up efforts to diversify trade, signing deals with countries including New Zealand. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

Macroscope | Can a world obsessed with greed and power avoid a war in 2026?

The desire for economic growth and military might is driving the world towards conflict while devaluing concepts such as mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

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Statues of a bull and a bear face off in front of the German stock exchange in Frankfurt. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Fair or fowl? Malaysia struggles to stomach its US trade pact

Local chefs fume over ‘lousy’ US poultry flooding the market, as critics call the trade agreement hastily reached and unfairly lopsided.

European Union

Opinion | Can Europe survive its crippling paralysis?

The brutal reality is that the European Union is failing to get its squabbling nations to work as a coherent group.

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US-China relations

Trump to meet US’ China envoy after call with Japanese PM Takaichi

Trump and Takaichi telephone conversation reaffirms ‘close coordination’ of US-Japan alliance and hopes of a ‘new chapter’ for partnership.

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US President Donald Trump shakes hands with David Perdue during Perdue’s swearing-in ceremony as the US Ambassador to China at the White House in May. The pair are set to meet at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Singapore defies Trump’s tariffs as manufacturing drives growth

The city state’s economy grew 5.7 per cent in the fourth quarter from a ‌year earlier, according to data from the trade ministry.

Investing

Opinion | Rising markets, falling interest rates and more: 5 investment myths for 2026

Investors must be careful in following conventional wisdom this year as several seemingly sure bets might be anything but.

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War and conflict

Letters | May 2026 bring more peace and more jobs

Readers discuss hopes for the new year, the prospect of an EU-like Asian union, and the cult of ‘result-oriented’.

A Palestinian woman walks along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Sheikh Radwan, a residential district of Gaza City, on December 30. Photo: AP
United States

Opinion | Why Donald Trump will focus on the Fed in 2026

With the US midterm elections looming, the White House seeks victory over inflation and the stimulating effects of lower borrowing costs.

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US President Donald Trump salutes after disembarking from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on October 30. Photo: Reuters
Asia housing and property

The View | How AI helped Asia’s real estate sector pass the tariff stress test

While multiple factors are at play, this year’s tech exuberance helped the region’s property markets stay afloat.

China-EU relations

Open Questions | Political scientist Ivan Krastev on European vertigo in a post-American world

While melancholy Europe frets that the US and China will shape the future, middle powers are jostling for a place at the big table.

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India

Indian rice could become costlier for US amid Trump’s tariff threat

Experts warn of wider repercussions, including efforts by importers to divert shipments and renewed strain in US-India trade talks.

A worker gathers rice grain with a broom in a grain market at Mansa in the northern state of Punjab, India, in November. Photo: Reuters
India

India’s gem exports defy US tariffs as Asia, Middle East demand grows

Shipments rose 19.64 per cent year on year to US$2.51 billion in November, reflecting a successful diversification push, analysts say.

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A salesman checks the quality of a diamond necklace through a magnifier at a jewellery store in Chennai. India is the world’s largest exporter of diamonds due to its dominance in gem cutting and polishing. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Prabowo, Trump to sign Indonesia-US trade deal as issues resolved

The pact removes tariffs on major Indonesian exports and boosts economic ties between the two countries.

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China-South Korea relations

Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance on Japan row

Beijing is reviving stalled trade talks with Seoul as the Lee administration breaks with Tokyo on Taiwan, and analysts say Chinese market access could be the geopolitical prize.

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