EU and China lawmakers spar over Moscow, Taipei in first talks since 2018

By Finbarr Bermingham in Brussels Lawmakers from Brussels and Beijing clashed on Russia and Taiwan, during their first official talks for seven years in the Belgian capital on Thursday. EU lawmakers and other people present said delegates from the National People’s Congress (NPC) echoed Russian narratives on the cause of the three-year war in Ukraine, […]

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IMF lifts growth outlook on more benign tariffs as revived US-China trade war looms

The International Monetary Fund edged up its 2025 global growth forecast on Tuesday as tariff shocks and financial conditions have proven more benign than expected, but warned that a renewed US-China trade war threatened by President Donald Trump could slow output significantly. The IMF said in its World Economic Outlook that recent trade deals between […]

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China’s Communist Party holds a plenum on its next five-year plan. What does it mean?

The elite Central Committee of China’s ruling Communist Party will hold a closed-door meeting from Monday to Thursday to discuss, among other things, the country’s 15th five-year development plan. The meeting, known as a plenum, is the fourth since the 2022 Party Congress. Here is what it all means: WHAT’S A PLENUM? The Central Committee […]

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Will China be a lower US defence priority? A new strategy report will soon tell

By Sylvie Zhuang in Beijing The Pentagon’s coming defence strategy report will contain major changes in the US’ plans to counter China’s military and economic strength, according to Chinese defence researchers. The new National Defence Strategy, a road map of defence priorities for each US president’s term, is expected to be released in the coming […]

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China’s Wingtech says Dutch court freezes control of Nexperia amid ‘national security’ dispute

By Finbarr Bermingham in Brussels In a move that could dent China’s relations with the European Union, Chinese technology company Wingtech said control of its Dutch subsidiary Nexperia has been effectively frozen, following an intervention by a government ministry and court in the Netherlands. In a corporate filing dated October 13, lodged with the Shanghai […]

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Trump cancels meeting with Xi amid rare earth trade clash

By Khushboo Razdan in Washington US President Donald Trump on Friday cancelled a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, accusing Beijing of “hostile” trade behaviour after it further expanded export controls on rare earth elements. In a social media post, Trump said he had been “surprised” by China’s move, which he claimed would “clog […]

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Why new EU steel tariffs to curb Chinese imports are giving carmakers a headache

By Xiaofei Xu in Paris A proposed increase to EU steel tariffs has already sown alarm among the continent’s car manufacturers, with stocks of major players plunging in the immediate aftermath of the announcement and industry insiders warning the measures could worsen cost pressures already weighing down growth in the sector. Following a Tuesday statement […]

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China says US ambassador to Panama ‘spreading lies’ after ‘malign’ presence jibe

By Orange Wang Diplomatic tensions between China and the United States over Panama have flared up once again, with the Chinese embassy in the Central American country accusing Washington’s top envoy there of “spreading lies” to undermine Beijing’s regional ties. This comes after the US ambassador to Panama, Kevin Cabrera, said that Washington viewed China’s presence […]

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Chinese military’s new underwater unmanned systems are ‘disruptive’, intelligent: journal

By Yuanyue Dang in Beijing A Chinese military journal has described the People’s Liberation Army’s latest underwater unmanned systems as “disruptive” and highlighted their intelligent capabilities. According to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, the unmanned submersibles showcased during the large-scale military parade held in Beijing on September 3 possessed “zero-radius turning manoeuvrability”, enabling them to “operate […]

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