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President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan as they leave the National Archives in Washington on Friday, alongside US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Why Xi’s US trip leaves Europe relieved by trade truce – but wary of the future

The summit in Washington eases near-term uncertainty over rare earths, but analysts fear the bloc could have less say over decisions shaping its economic interests.

Belt and Road Initiative

Indonesia eyes China for massive 2,772km railway project – with caution

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Trade truce aside, was AI the real Xi-Trump summit breakthrough?

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China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors.

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Foreign tourists handle their smartphones while buying tickets for a performance at a theatre in China’s Chongqing municipality last month. Photo: Xinhua
Foreign tourists handle their smartphones while buying tickets for a performance at a theatre in China’s Chongqing municipality last month. Photo: Xinhua
China-EU relations

China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source

Sources on the Chinese side recently described the talks as difficult and expressed frustration over the EU’s inflexibility.

China trade

Chinese carmakers gain as high petrol prices boost European EV sales

Chinese brands’ share of plug-in hybrid registrations across Europe climbed from about 20 per cent in January to 35.3 per cent in August.

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US-China trade war

China is investing record amounts overseas. Why are US-bound flows plunging?

Chinese investment in the US has fallen to its lowest level since 2011 amid tighter scrutiny and trade tensions.

Chinese outbound direct investment was up 11.1 per cent in 2025 year on year, according to a new government report. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese outbound direct investment was up 11.1 per cent in 2025 year on year, according to a new government report. Photo: Shutterstock
2026 Xi-Trump summits

What a 2-month trade-truce extension reveals as US-China rifts persist

Analysts say that the relatively short window, while a positive sign, could also raise pressure on both Beijing and Washington.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

‘Deep respect’: analysts weigh in on Trump’s red carpet welcome for Xi

Elaborate greeting ceremony immediately preceded by extension of tariff truce, both positive early signs for Chinese leader’s trip.

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China exports

China has scrapped two-thirds of its planned coal power plants abroad: report

The cutbacks have saved 6.4 billion tonnes of potential carbon emissions, though campaign’s momentum slowed last year, report finds.

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Women sit on a hill overlooking a coal power plant in Indonesia. The country is a hotspot for Chinese energy investment. Photo: AP
Banking & finance

US$365 trillion and counting: the world’s total debt hits record high, IIF finds

Debt climbs US$10 trillion in six months as fiscal strains deepen, exposing cracks in household and corporate balance sheets.

The US Capitol building is seen following rain showers. The US federal government’s debt alone accounts for more than 10 per cent of all the debt in the world, spanning government, household, financial and non-financial corporate sectors in more than 100 economies, according to the Institute of International Finance. Photo: AFP
The US Capitol building is seen following rain showers. The US federal government’s debt alone accounts for more than 10 per cent of all the debt in the world, spanning government, household, financial and non-financial corporate sectors in more than 100 economies, according to the Institute of International Finance. Photo: AFP
China consumption

Boosting China’s social safety net could address consumption woes: IMF director

The global organisation found that savings of rural households decrease when social and healthcare spending is higher.

US-China relations

China’s US dollar holdings

China’s direct holdings of US Treasuries fell to an 18-year low in August as the country shifts to buying the bonds via Europe while continuing to diversify by increasing gold reserves.

Yuan

Digital yuan push quickens as Ant International spurs instant cross-border flows

The Shanghai-to-Hong Kong settlements worth hundreds of millions of yuan bypassed traditional channels and could accelerate Beijing’s broader yuan strategy.

China is scaling up adoption of the digital yuan as it seeks to embed it more deeply into the country’s financial system. Photo: dpa
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV battery giant CATL starts trial production in Hungary

Analyst says development could see it secure massive orders from global marques such as BMW and Volkswagen.

The CATL exhibition hall. as this month’s World Power Battery Conference in Yibin, Sichuan province. Photo: Xinhua
The CATL exhibition hall. as this month’s World Power Battery Conference in Yibin, Sichuan province. Photo: Xinhua
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Why China’s top AI pioneers are expected to miss this week’s Xi-Trump summit

Beijing has not officially announced details of the delegation, but the leaders of DeepSeek and Moonshot AI are absent from the reported list.

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China trade

Once key economic weapon, US-China soy trade offers fragile relief from tensions

As the two nations address disputes ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, some American soybean farmers say they are in a better position than in 2025.

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China-EU relations

A shift by China towards service-based economy may realign trade, EU group says

The nation has seen little progress towards addressing ‘involution’, with output still growing beyond absorption rate, says an EU trade group.

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The Europe Union and Chinese flags. Photo: Getty Images
The Europe Union and Chinese flags. Photo: Getty Images
2026 Xi-Trump summits

In Focus | The US-China tech war has evolved since Xi and Trump last met. Who has the edge?

The two sides have found new sources of leverage across AI, chips, rare earths and wider technology supply chains since the US leader’s May visit to Beijing.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Rising toll of US-China trade, tech curbs in focus ahead of summit

Impacts of reciprocal restrictions eroding profits, disrupting supply chains and intensifying market competition are back in the spotlight.

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China energy security

Canada sells more oil and gas to China as relations with US sour

China’s imports of Russian energy products also rise sharply as Beijing diversifies its energy supplies.

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The Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, on September 2. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Chinese province urges firms to capitalise on warm US ties before Xi-Trump talks

Eastern manufacturing centre Zhejiang asks traders to find opportunities for US exports in rare period of detente in run-up to leaders’ summit.

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On the morning of August 28, U.S. Senator Steve Daines led a delegation to visit Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, touring the Future Learning Center. Photo: Zhejiang University
On the morning of August 28, U.S. Senator Steve Daines led a delegation to visit Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, touring the Future Learning Center. Photo: Zhejiang University
China-EU relations

Open Questions | ‘Trade is never free’: former WTO chief Pascal Lamy on the EU’s China challenge

He says Chinese authorities’ lack of interest in addressing structural macroeconomic imbalance a ‘huge problem’ for European Union.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Up in the air? Why Boeing’s massive China deal could hinge on Trump-Xi talks

Beijing agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets during Trump’s visit to China in May. But the deal has yet to materialise – and could depend on summit outcome.

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China-Middle East relations

Chinese firms keen on Oman’s International Financial Centre: official

Neutrality amid US-Israel war on Iran cited as an advantage, as well as location of ports away from Strait of Hormuz.

A highway in Muscat, Oman. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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