Day: July 10, 2025

Analysts awaiting details of China’s economic performance in the first half of the year, which are due to be released on Tuesday, will be looking to see whether more fiscal stimulus is needed to weather the tariff storms emanating from Washington. Advertisement While the market largely expects second-quarter economic growth to reach 5 per cent, in line with the full-year target, concerns linger that the rosy headline figure could mask persistent weakness in domestic demand and employment. On top of these structural challenges at home, rising external uncertainty – particularly…

China identified 38 new sites of mineral reserves in the first half of this year, discoveries that are expected to help the country meet its resource security goals. Advertisement The Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday that the number of new mineral sites increased 31 per cent year on year during the period, and included the discovery of reserves with an estimated 3.37 million tonnes of rubidium and 81 tonnes of gold. Rubidium is used in biomedicine, telecommunication systems, pyrotechnics and specialty glass, and gold is used, among other…

This is the final story in a three-part series exploring the domestic economic challenges China faces as it navigates an unprecedented trade war with the United States. In this piece, we explore the country’s cloudy employment outlook for workers across all sectors, and how truck drivers and high-powered lawyers alike are learning to adjust their expectations. Advertisement When his chemical company laid off a third of its team, Liang Wang felt a mix of emotions: relief that he was not among them, but dread that more cutbacks would soon be…

Brazil scrambled to craft a measured but strong response to US President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff hike on Thursday in hopes of shielding key industries, while analysts predicted the tariffs would drive the country closer to China. Advertisement Trump sent a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday confirming that Brazilian exports would face 50 per cent duty starting August 1. He claimed the measure would punish what he called “unfair trade barriers” and political “persecution” of former president Jair Bolsonaro, now on trial for allegedly plotting…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that he was working on a possible sit-down in coming days with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of an Asean meeting in Malaysia amid a contentious trade dispute. Advertisement If realised, the meeting on the periphery of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conclave would be the first time the two top diplomats will have met in person since Rubio assumed his position in January. Rubio, who also holds the post of national security adviser, added Thursday that the…

Taiwan’s military has live-streamed live-fire drills featuring its new M1A2T Abrams tanks in a show of force aimed at boosting public morale and highlighting combat readiness amid rising tensions with Beijing. Advertisement The high-profile display on Thursday came just as mainland China ramped up its own military signalling across the Taiwan Strait. State broadcaster CCTV aired back-to-back footage of amphibious assault and reconnaissance drills conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the coastal province of Fujian, directly across the strait from Taiwan. The timing of the parallel manoeuvres underscored…