Day: October 26, 2025

A Chinese naval fleet including a guided-missile destroyer, missile frigate and comprehensive supply ship set sail earlier this month from a port in eastern Qingdao, heading to the Gulf of Aden and the Somali waters. Advertisement The Chinese navy has been helping to protect commercial ships and countering Somali piracy since its first mission in the waters in 2008, when there were numerous attacks by Somali pirates. Since 2013, however, there have been very few Somali pirate attacks, and in some years none at all. Yet, the Chinese navy has…

At the ongoing autumn session of the Canton Fair, China’s largest and longest-running trade exhibition, many Chinese exporters say that overseas buyers’ demands for extended payment terms are becoming one of their biggest challenges in maintaining profits. Advertisement The pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – across a range of industries – is particularly acute. “A regular client suddenly demanded 90-day post-shipment payment because other suppliers offer longer terms,” said Kevin Huang, a lighting exporter at the fair in Guangzhou. “If we don’t comply, we risk losing the order.…

China and Singapore have pledged to uphold multilateralism and strengthen bilateral trade amid growing protectionism, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang began his two-day visit to the city state on Saturday. Advertisement The trip, which marked the first visit by a Chinese leader to Singapore since 2018, comes as the two countries celebrate 35 years of diplomatic ties. The premier’s visit follows a June trip by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Currently, the multilateral trade system is facing severe challenges,” Li told…