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Trade
News about international trade flows, statistics and policy decisions from the world’s most important trading economies and trade-related bodies, including the World Trade Organisation.
A worker inspects fruit at a Chinese-financed mango processing factory in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province last year. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

US, Israel war on Iran

‘We will not stop’: the UAE’s trillion-dollar trade detour

Electric & new energy vehicles

Europe’s carmakers plan a comeback – powered by EU policies and Chinese tech

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Donald Trump

Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke, says he’ll add cost to tariffs

Smoke from Canadian fires has enveloped a swathe of the US, raising questions about conditions for Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey.

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The sun rises next to The Empire State Building through a cover of wildfire smoke on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

US lets Hong Kong emergency expire but keeps preferential treatment restrictions

State Department says 2020 order remains in effect as city still lacks sufficient autonomy for different treatment from mainland China.

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China shipbuilding

Chinese shipbuilders snap up more supertanker orders amid Iran war turmoil

Industry data shows China’s shipyards secured 82 per cent of tanker orders placed this year, as measured by carrying capacity.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Red Sea shutdown risk looms as US-Iran tensions threaten another oil surge

Tehran puts Houthi militants on notice to close critical shipping lanes, threatening a fresh supply shock as Brent crude notches 21 per cent rally since early July.

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This July 2025 handout image shows a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier being attacked by Houthi fighters at sea. Attacks by Yemen’s Houthis have prompted many freight companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Beijing denounces US chip curbs as threat to global supply chains

Move to incorporate three China-focused export control measures into the NDAA marks a new escalation in the US technology rivalry.

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China trade

Helium squeeze: China vows trade controls on gas to shield critical industries

A by-product of LNG production, helium is critical for hi-tech industries including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace.

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Brazil

Rubio says 25% US tariffs on some Brazilian goods price for Lula’s ‘ego’

Brazil denounced the levies, saying ‘there’s no justification for unilateral measures against our country’.

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US President Donald Trump meets his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) at the White House in May. Photo: dpa
China trade

China’s imports from Africa surge after Beijing expands zero-tariff policy

China’s growing hunger for critical minerals partly drove the increase, but the tariff reduction is also fuelling trade in several new sectors.

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Copper ingots are stacked ready for export at a facility in Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Christmas tree troubles, new Pacific missile launch: 7 US-China relations reads

From a ruckus over Christmas trees to new drug trafficking arrests, here are highlights from our overseas correspondents in the first half of July 2026.

China trade

Giant Japanese trade group plans China visit amid tense economic ties

Delegation from prominent Japanese organisation seeks October talks in Beijing and Xian to repair business partnerships after geopolitical disputes snarled exchanges.

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China exports

Feeling the heat? As China exports soar, Europe’s ports are congested

Amid heatwaves, strikes and surging import volumes, strains on the transport network are causing frequent logistics bottlenecks.

A China-Europe freight train departing from Tongjiang North Railway Station in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on August 9, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Greater Bay Area

Hong Kong urged to pave path for Greater Bay Area firms going global

Standards alignment, supply-chain coordination and cross-border financing are areas where city’s expertise can be pivotal, summit speakers say.

Supply-chain relocation exposes the limits of going it alone for companies in the bay area, according to speakers at a summit on Greater Bay Area expansion. Photo: Eugene Lee
Asean

Opinion | Cambodia aspires to shed its dependencies while staying connected

As it seeks connectivity, Phnom Penh must build diplomatic bridges with as much effort as it constructs ports and canals.

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump scraps Hormuz toll plan but presses ahead with Iran blockade

In latest flip-flop, US president says Gulf investment deals will replace shipping fee, while restoring blockade targeting Iranian trade.

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China trade

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

High-voltage transmission towers and power lines in Dunhuang, China on June 1. Photo: Zhe Ji
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s 20% Hormuz toll jolts markets as Asia adapts to oil shock

Alternative trade routes and an AI tech boom are helping the region cushion the blow of a threatened maritime tariff.

China trade

China headed for US$1 trillion trade surplus as exports soar

Torrid pace of export growth in June, fuelled by global AI boom, keeps country on track for another huge surplus despite Iran war headwinds and big rise in imports.

Semiconductors

Global AI boom sees China’s chip exports nearly double in first half of year

Exports of automatic data processing machines and parts jumped more than 41 per cent to top US$138 billion.

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A staff member tests chips in a workshop at the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Incubator in Shangahi’s Pudong New Area on July 8. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

China’s trade surges in first half of 2026, extending growth streak

Exports rose by 27 per cent year on year and imports grew by 36 per cent last month, both beating projections.

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Containers at a port in Nanjing in China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
Global monetary policy

Amid rising dollar risks, Plaza Accord-style unity not feasible: ex-IMF adviser

Economic historian Barry Eichengreen says if current policy paths persist, modern rifts could bring about a confidence crisis in the US currency.

US-China trade war

US tariff probe unlikely to derail autumn Xi-Trump meeting: analysts

Experts say both sides remain focused on trade negotiations and new tariff-free mechanisms despite fresh investigations.

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US-China relations

Lindsey Graham’s death removes one of Washington’s most influential China hawks

Graham’s sister will fill his Senate seat, but his role as one of Trump’s closest foreign policy advisers may prove harder to replace.

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Lindsey Graham (right) forged a close political alliance with Donald Trump after strongly opposing him during the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Pentagon invests US$25 million into rare earths start-up ReElement Technologies

The move is part of a push by the US to boost domestic supplies of critical minerals and challenge ‌China’s dominance of the sector.

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The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

EU countries push for trade ban with Israeli settlements

EU foreign policy chief insists measures target West Bank settlements rather than Israel itself.

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump to restore Iran blockade, charge fees for Strait of Hormuz shipping

US president says Iranian ships and those trading with Iran will be barred, while other commercial traffic will pay a 20% transit fee.

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