China dismisses talks with Japan; rise in rare earth magnet exports: SCMP daily highlights

1. China tells Japan to ‘behave’ properly as it dismisses call for talks

China has urged Tokyo to “behave with restraint” after it called for talks amid the diplomatic freeze over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan.

2. Chinese rare earth magnet exports to US hit 9-month high as trade war resolves

China’s shipments of rare earth permanent magnets to the US surged to a nine-month high in October as the two countries engaged in a roller-coaster round of manoeuvring over export controls that led to an easing of trade tensions late last month.

3. ‘Impossible to achieve’: why China can’t grow enough soybeans to feed itself

Soybeans are more than just a crop – they have become a litmus test of Beijing’s evolving food security strategy and sit at the heart of the US-China trade war.