Day: February 23, 2026

China will accelerate investment in alternative nickel supply sources and strengthen its role across the metal’s wider supply chain, analysts said, after the United States finalised a deal with Indonesia on Thursday that will give America unrestricted access to the country’s industrial commodities. While the US Supreme Court’s tariff ruling last week could add some uncertainty to US-Indonesia trade, the agreement has the potential to reshape the global supply chain for nickel – a metal used to make stainless steel and some electric vehicle batteries. “[The US-Indonesia deal] is quite…

For his family’s first overseas trip together, Tang Junjie carefully planned a holiday to Japan during China’s longest Lunar New Year break on record. Flights were booked months in advance by the 22-year-old from Sichuan province, who had already made three solo visits to the neighbouring country that has long been a draw for Chinese tourists. But a sudden deterioration in Sino-Japanese relations changed everything. Advertisement “The original plan was to transit through Seoul on our way to Japan,” Tang said. “But the airline couldn’t refund the tickets at the…

China has added 20 Japanese entities to its export control list and 20 more to a watch list scrutinising the trade of select goods, increasing the economic pressure on Tokyo in a move that widens the scope of the countries’ prolonged diplomatic row to include some of Japan’s largest companies. Chinese exporters are banned from shipping dual-use goods – items with military and civilian applications – to the firms and institutions on the export control list, Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement announcing the additions on Tuesday. All…

Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed military sources, on Saturday reported that South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back lodged a complaint with General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), “immediately” after receiving a report of the stand-off last week. The report said USFK had notified South Korea of its plan ahead of the exercise but had not offered details about the drills. Advertisement The incident was reported to have taken place on Wednesday and involved around 10 US F-16 fighters that took off from Osan Air Base about 65km…

After being sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for national security offences on February 9, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying will decide if he wishes to appeal. He may challenge his convictions and/or sentences and has about two weeks to make up his mind. Given the length of his trial (156 days), the mountain of evidence and the legal issues, it will take time for any appeal to be resolved. Meanwhile, foreign actors have turned their attention to securing Lai’s early release. The lead counsel in his international legal team,…