US Treasury secretary: no risk of China weaponizing Treasuries despite bond market volatility
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Tuesday dismissed concerns over China weaponizing its Treasuries despite bond market volatility and added there was no risk of China potentially using its robust Treasury pile to inflict…
World Bank’s Banga unsure of US aid to fund for poor nations, though Trump dialogue ‘constructive’
WASHINGTON -World Bank President Ajay Banga said on Wednesday he has had constructive talks with the Trump administration about the development lender but he did not know how much the U.S. would contribute to the bank’s fund for the world’s…
Oil rises $1 as US issues new sanctions aimed at Chinese importers of Iranian oil
HOUSTON – Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel on Wednesday on concerns about global supplies after Washington issued new sanctions targeting Chinese importers of Iranian oil. Brent crude futures rose $1.06, or 1.64%, to $65.73 a barrel by…
California sues Trump administration to block tariffs
California on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to block U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners, accusing him of abusing his powers and inflicting financial harm on the state and nation. Trump imposed 10% tariffs on goods…
Shein, Temu to hike prices under pressure from Trump’s trade policies
Chinese online marketplace Temu and fast-fashion retailer Shein will raise prices on their products next week as President Trump’s crackdown on low-value imports and sweeping tariffs increase expenses for the companies known for their low-priced offerings. In letters to customers…
At United Nations, China to blast US for bullying, trade war
UNITED NATIONS – China will next week convene an informal United Nations Security Council meeting to accuse the United States of bullying and “casting a shadow over the global efforts for peace and development” by weaponizing tariffs. The move comes…
Pennsylvania governor’s mansion arson attack suspect says treatment of Palestinians was motive, police say
The man charged with setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while the governor and his family were there sleeping told police he did it because of the governor’s stance on the war in Gaza, according to a search warrant…
US mulls penalties to block DeepSeek from buying American technology, NYT reports
The Trump administration is weighing penalties that would block China’s DeepSeek from buying U.S. technology and debating barring Americans’ access to its services, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Indonesia to propose $10 billion US energy imports increase in tariff talks
JAKARTA -Indonesia will propose increasing its imports of crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas from the United States by around $10 billion as part of its tariff negotiations, energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia told local media on Tuesday. Indonesian officials are…
China property investment falls 9.9% y/y in January-March
BEIJING – Property investment in China fell 9.9% in the first three months of 2025 from a year earlier, after dropping 9.8% in the January-February period, official data showed on Wednesday. Property sales by floor area were down 3.0% in…
Exclusive-Top Hegseth adviser Dan Caldwell put on leave in Pentagon leak probe
WASHINGTON – One of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leading advisers, Dan Caldwell, was escorted from the Pentagon on Tuesday after being identified during an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense, a U.S. official told Reuters. Caldwell was…
Exclusive-Australian politicians took $147,000 of match tickets while weighing sports betting ban
SYDNEY – Australian politicians were gifted about A$245,000 ($147,000) in match tickets over nearly two years by the country’s most popular sporting leagues as part of a lobbying campaign against a proposed ban on advertising of online gambling, according to…
Morning Bid: Markets wobble over US-China wrangling
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Stella Qiu It’s been a sea of red in Asia so far on Wednesday, with new U.S. moves turning up the heat in the trade war with China,…
China appoints new top trade negotiator amid US tariff war
BEIJING -China appointed as its new trade negotiator on Wednesday a former representative to the World Trade Organization who replaces Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, amid an escalating tariff war with the United States. Li Chenggang, 58, a former assistant…
Shein’s tariff-busting shift hits home in Chinese factory hub
GUANGZHOU, China – The rapid rise of ultra-fast fashion retailer Shein has been so key to the fortunes of a group of urban villages on the outskirts of China’s southern metropolis of Guangzhou that they have been colloquially dubbed “Shein…
Honda to shift production of US-bound 5-door Civic hybrid to Indiana from Japan
TOKYO – Honda Motor will shift production of its U.S.-bound five-door Civic hybrid model from Japan to Indiana, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. Production of the model in the Yorii factory, near Tokyo, is likely to end in June…
Factbox-Global banks cut China growth forecasts as trade war deepens
SHANGHAI -Global investment banks are lowering their projections for China’s economic growth this year as U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs are expected to take a toll on the world’s second-largest economy. Some of the banks had upgraded their forecasts…
Hong Kong Post to suspend postal service to US
HONG KONG – Hong Kong Post said on Wednesday that it would suspend its postal service for items containing goods to the United States, for air mail from April 27, and said that Hong Kong residents should be prepared to…
Students sue US Defense Department schools for book removals
WASHINGTON – A dozen students in U.S. Defense Department schools sued the department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday for book removals and curriculum changes following executive orders from President Donald Trump, an advocacy group said. The lawsuit was…
China’s Xpeng says it reviewed supply chain to insulate it from tariff turmoil
HONG KONG – Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng said on Wednesday that it had done a “thorough analysis” of its supply chain to ensure it would not be impacted by the current turmoil caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs…
China’s March industrial output rises at faster pace in March
BEIJING – China’s industrial output in March rose 7.7% from a year earlier, quickening from 5.9% growth in the January-February period, official data showed on Wednesday, as the world’s second-largest economy braced for the impact of hefty U.S. trade tariffs….
China March crude steel output jumps on decent margins, rising exports
BEIJING – China’s crude steel output in March climbed 4.6% from the prior year, incentivised by higher margins and robust exports. The world’s largest steel producer manufactured 92.84 million metric tons of crude steel last month, data from the National…
Euro zone current account surplus narrowed in February
FRANKFURT – The euro zone’s current account surplus narrowed in February as a higher services surplus was not big enough to offset a rise in goods imports, European Central Bank data showed on Wednesday. The currency bloc’s seasonally adjusted balance…
China urges US to stop exerting maximum pressure to solve issues
BEIJING – China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday urged the United States to stop exerting maximum pressure if it really wants to solve issues through dialogue, after the White House said the “ball is in China’s court” on trade talks.
DOGE attempted to assign team to US nonprofit group Vera Institute of Justice
WASHINGTON -Billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency attempted to place a team with independent nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice, the nonprofit said, marking a further expansion of the cost-cutting agency’s move to exercise control over non-governmental groups. KEY…
Chinese exporters on Rednote ask local consumers to buy goods meant for US
SHANGHAI – Chinese sellers of items from lunch boxes to appliances have taken to social media platform Rednote to generate sympathy purchases, telling domestic consumers they are offloading stock at bargain prices amid U.S. tariffs. Over the past week, dozens…
China’s Q1 GDP grows 5.4% y/y, beating expectations
BEIJING – China’s economy grew 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, data showed on Wednesday, beating expectations, but an escalating trade war with the United States has darkened the outlook and raised pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus….
China’s new home prices flat in March, investment remains weak
BEIJING -China’s new home prices were unchanged in March from the prior month, as demand continued to remain soft despite the government’s extensive policy support to boost confidence in the fragile property sector. The flat outcome in March was a…
EU issues list of ‘safe countries’ for migrant returns that includes Egypt, Tunisia
The European Commission on Wednesday included countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, where human rights have come under scrutiny, on a list of “safe countries” to which failed asylum seekers could be returned. The EU list, criticised by human rights…
Iran’s Khamenei neither ‘overly optimistic nor pessimistic’ about US nuclear talks
DUBAI – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday he was neither “overly optimistic nor pessimistic” about talks with the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear programme, in an apparent move by Tehran to play down growing public expectations of a…