This Month
China’s May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs bite
Customs data showed the value of China’s exports to the US plunged 34.5 per cent year-on-year in May, the sharpest drop since the 2020 start of the pandemic.
Tech company collapse sparks shareholder battle with $14b chipmaker
A group of Australian shareholders are taking on a Taiwanese semiconductor giant in a battle over collapsed listed-tech company Nuheara.
China slams Hegseth’s claims of ‘imminent’ Taiwan invasion
Beijing says the US defence secretary’s comments that it is rehearsing for the real deal ‘ignored the calls of regional countries for peace and development’.
How the US plans to fight off Chinese invasion of Taiwan
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and an invasion of Taiwan could be imminent.
The burning questions Hegseth left unanswered on the China challenge
The US defence secretary’s speech has helped to address, but will not silence, lingering questions about the Trump administration’s commitment to Asia.
US to support Indo-Pacific allies against ‘imminent’ China threat: Hegseth
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China.
May
China’s plea to PM: let us into trans-Pacific trade deal
Australia has publicly backed Indonesia to join the CPTPP but hasn’t been as supportive of China’s bid.
What if China invaded Taiwan? This TV drama paints a visceral picture
Controversial series “Zero Day” is the first to realistically depict a Chinese assault on the democratic but divided island.
Fentanyl could be key to China-US trade stand-off
The deadly drug is a bargaining chip as both sides look for a way to de-escalate a trade war that is expected to drag down economic growth around the world.
April
China vows steps to ease exporters’ pain as Trump’s tariffs hit
Beijing laid out policies to aid exporting companies, including plans to ensure troubled firms get the loans they need, and to boost domestic consumption.
Beijing’s flag-planting in South China Sea revives tensions with Manila
The Philippines sent navy, coastguard and maritime police officers to Sandy Cay and two neighbouring sandbanks in the Spratly Islands “uphold sovereignty”.
China’s military spending has surged. So have the purges
As Australia remembers its war dead on Anzac Day, the Chinese military’s huge build-up and sophistication is raising questions in China and countries across the region.
China warns nations not to cut US trade deals at its expense
While it respects nations resolving their trade disputes with the US, Beijing “resolutely opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests”.
China names new trade negotiator as tariff war heats up
Beijing is also willing to start negotiations with Donald Trump’s administration if the US president and his top officials start showing more respect.
Trump exempts smartphones from China tariffs in climbdown
The US administration’s move is the first sign of a softening of levies against China and provides a big boost for Apple and Nvidia.
Trump unveils 10pc tariffs on all imports, higher for 60 countries
The president used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the US helped to build, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, plundered”.
Jardine Matheson, giant of Hong Kong commerce, charts new course as investor
The storied Anglo-Asian conglomerate was founded as an opium trader in 1832 and famous as an inspiration for James Clavell’s novels. The shift marks a new incarnation.
PM, Dutton trade barbs; Star’s lifeline fails; Investors too calm
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
China holds military exercises around Taiwan in fresh warning
Warships and fighter planes practiced drills, in what Beijing said was a warning to Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te.
RBA won’t join desperate guessing game
Central banks are as much on edge as markets, as the world waits to learn the impact and extent of Donald Trump’s tariffs. Caution reigns at the Reserve Bank.