US-China relations

US trade chief says tech restrictions to block Chinese autos

Greer emphasised that tariffs are an effective tool to bring manufacturing back to the US

While Xi hasn't commented on the oil crisis, his move to help Trump shows China's shift from the sidelines to using its ties with Iran for peace.

Xi helps Trump on Iran war as China assists with ceasefire bid

A pause to the fighting would smooth Trump’s visit to Beijing next month

US President Donald Trump (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Busan last October.

China pips the US if Asean is forced to choose, but analysts warn against reading it like a sports result

Sentiments in the region over the two major powers flip again in Iseas-Yusof Ishak’s annual South-east Asia survey

Concerns about climate change signal heightened public awareness of the economic, social and environmental impact of extreme weather events.

Climate risks, great power rivalry the top concerns for South-east Asian nations: survey

Countries are finding it increasingly difficult to balance between the US and China

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Apec summit, in Busan, South Korea on Oct 30, 2025.

US trade war with China in focus ahead of Trump-Xi summit in May

Trump's trip comes just a year after Washington rolled out sweeping and at times erratic global tariffs.

The bill would also introduce new controls that affect both foreign and US firms, such as Applied Materials.   

US lawmakers propose crackdown on chip tool sales to China

[HONG KONG] US lawmakers unveiled legislation that seeks to crack down on exports of chipmaking tools to China, especially from allies including the Netherlands and Japan, in a bipartisan effort to he...

Donald Trump has sought China's help in pressuring Teheran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but Beijing has so far declined.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Beijing bound: What the Trump-Xi summit in May reveals about a world in flux

Underlying all issues is the broader contest for global influence

Trump has already imposed an across-the-board 10% levy as a stopgap measure, effectively lowering the rate on Chinese goods for now.

Trump reschedules China visit for Xi talks to May 14-15 after Iran war delay

The US president has vowed to rebuild that tariff wall through other authorities

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping leaving a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025.
NEWS ANALYSIS

Delay in Trump’s China visit gives both sides time to hammer out trade deal

The US president’s request to delay his trip to China came just hours after officials from both sides met in Paris for trade talks

A garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Targets of the US probes include Vietnam, which had the largest trade surplus with the US in January.

US tariff turmoil: Will partners in Asia and Europe break away from their 2025 deals?

For economies already hit by the war in Iran, America’s new ‘unfair trade practices probes’ spell only more trouble