CK Hutchison-Panama deal hope, new theory on West’s view of China: SCMP daily highlights
From a US trade blacklist sparking tensions to Trump downplaying mainland China’s threat to Taiwan, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage
1. Trump downplays Beijing threat to Taiwan as Australia touts rare earths deal
While Trump celebrated a multibillion-dollar minerals deal with Canberra aimed at curbing China’s leverage in trade talks, he also dominated the encounter by opining that Beijing had no plans to invade Taiwan and posed no real threat in the Indo-Pacific.
2. How a single rule change sparked a major flare-up in US-China tensions
Though it drew little fanfare at the time, the decision by the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to widen its trade blacklists in late September has had far-reaching effects. It not only pushed Beijing to take retaliatory action; it also contributed to the Netherlands’ drastic move to seize control of the chip firm Nexperia, analysts say.
3. CK Hutchison gets encouraging signs of a deal with Panama government
A senior Panamanian official said on Monday that Panama will remain flexible and potentially reach an agreement with CK Hutchison as the Latin American country navigates the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China.