IN THE EARLY months of America’s trade war against the world, speculation mounted. Could the two other major trading powers, China and the European Union, collaborate to intensify their bilateral trade links so as to compensate for America’s isolationism? A summit on July 24th in Beijing will show that the answer is emphatically “no”. It was supposed to be a celebration of 50 years of diplomatic ties. Now it looks set to be a sputtering squib. The Economist
It was a lawsuit unlike any other. On August 25, 2023, just days before he resigned as UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace asked judges in London for an injunction to keep a historic national security debacle secret. The Ministry of Defence had recently discovered that, 18 months earlier, a British soldier had mistakenly released a highly sensitive dataset identifying thousands of Afghans who had worked with the UK before the Taliban retook power. They were now at risk of reprisals. Afghan files Whitehall only learned about the leak after someone…
Public attitudes toward China in parts of Latin America have become more positive compared to recent years, even though many in the region continue to view the United States as a more important economic partner, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Centre. Advertisement The survey, conducted from January 8 to April 26, involved face-to-face interviews with 3,833 adults aged 18 and older in Mexico (1,243 respondents), Brazil (1,298) and Argentina (1,292). It is part of a broader study that covers 25 countries and examines views on China’s…
Beijing has removed “restrictions” on Reinhard Buetikofer, the former EU lawmaker it sanctioned in 2021, as it looks to normalise ties with the European Parliament. Advertisement The move is expected to galvanise a new round of engagement, with an official meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the China delegation of the European Parliament pencilled in for Brussels in October, according to several people familiar with the plan. This would be the first official meeting between the sides since 2018. In April, China lifted sanctions on sitting lawmakers, but…
Anthony Albanese met Xi Jinping for the second time in Beijing on Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, in remarks open to the media, both leaders talked about the need for cooperation and the Chinese president even reflected on the improved relationship between the two countries. So what do we know about what was discussed behind closed doors? Chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy speaks to Nour Haydar about a diplomatic visit crucial to Australian trade and security – and what Donald Trump might think of it all The Guardian
The United States has launched investigations into imports of drones and polysilicon – two sectors where China holds a global lead – in a move that could pave the way for tariffs and give Washington leverage in trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, analysts said. Advertisement The US Bureau of Industry and Security released a document on Monday, seeking public comments as it moves forward with the investigation, which began on July 1 under “Section 232” of the Trade Expansion Act. “Interested parties are invited to submit written…
Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, says the chipmaker has won approval from the Trump administration to sell its advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence to China. “Today, I’m announcing that the US government has approved for us filing licenses to start shipping H20s,” Huang told reporters in Beijing. The news came in a company blog post late on Monday. “The US government has assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,” the post said. Huang also spoke about the coup on China’s state-run…
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration had reached a trade deal with Indonesia, while his Treasury Department chief cut China some slack on the deadline for a final deal of its own. Advertisement Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that Indonesia would charge no tariffs on US imports, while exports from the southeast Asian country to America would be subject to a 19 per cent levy. “They are going to pay 19 per cent and we are going to pay nothing…
Alibaba Group Holding will roll out a programme called “Super Saturdays” over the next 100 days to lure more consumers to its platform, while escalating a price war against Meituan and JD.com in the mainland’s on-demand delivery services market. Advertisement Under Alibaba’s instant commerce brand Taobao Shangou, “Super Saturdays” would offer consumers up to 188 yuan (US$26) in subsidies for the purchase and delivery of low-cost goods such as milk tea and breakfast meals, according to a report by state-owned financial newspaper Securities Times. Alibaba owns the Post. Alibaba declined…
Reports that a senior Pentagon official has been telling America’s European allies to stay away from the Indo-Pacific may be a sign that Washington will ask its Asian allies to shoulder more responsibility for countering China, according to some analysts. Advertisement The report cited sources who interpreted the Pentagon’s No 3 as “basically saying ‘You have no business being in the Indo-Pacific’”. They added that he thought the United States does not “need the Europeans to be doing anything” in the region. Liselotte Odgaard, a senior fellow at the Hudson…