Tariffs

Tit for tat: Beijing builds legal arsenal against Western sanctions and jurisdiction

US warning to Chinese banks over Iran-linked transactions triggered a swift response from Beijing, which rolled out new regulations to counter sanctions and extraterritorial legal pressure. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei examines this tit-for-tat escalation now extending into the legal sphere.

Sim Tze Wei

Capital realism: A divided world, more connected than ever

Global trade is not fragmenting into isolation but entrenching new forms of interdependence. As rules diverge, connections multiply, deepen, and become harder to unwind, argues the Milken Institute’s Robin Hu.

Robin Hu

Taiwan in the shadow of a Trump-China deal

While Trump 2.0 has shown that the US may not sway towards Taiwan as readily as before, Trump’s actions in Venezuela and Iran may be good for Taiwan, by tempering China’s ambitions. Taiwanese academic Ho Ming-sho weights the pros and cons. 

Ho Ming-sho

America’s tariff wars are far from over

While the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs has put a dent in President Trump’s strategy and the Middle East crisis adds caution, the US’s tariffs wars are far from over. China and other major surplus economies could be vulnerable to new measures. As trade talks continue and China-US industrial relations stay firmly intertwined, says Chinese academic Tao Zhigang, Chinese companies need to transform to survive.

Tao Zhigang

The limits of courts against shameless power

The Supreme Court’s ruling on US President Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” is not proof that American democracy is alive and well and that the system will self-correct. Instead, it shows that usual guardrails like Congress and the fourth estate have been breached, leaving the Court the last line of defence but a shaky one at that. Does that leave American democracy forever damaged under Trump? Commentator Deng Yuwen weighs in.

Deng Yuwen

Supreme Court ruling weakens Trump ahead of China visit

The US Supreme Court has struck down Trump’s tariffs, limiting his leverage and signalling rising domestic opposition. Ahead of his visit to China, his ability to secure favourable trade and political concessions is under pressure, says Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan.

Yu Zeyuan

The side war against a not-yet-ready China

Avoiding a direct clash with Beijing, US President Donald Trump is exploiting China’s unfinished rise — pressuring its energy suppliers, trade partners and allies to constrain its growth before it can defend its global interests, says Italian commentator Emanuele Scimia. 

Emanuele Scimia

Canada turns pragmatic — and looks East

Canada is recalibrating its foreign policy toward economic interests, flexible coalitions and Asian partners. Engagement now trumps alignment — even as dependence on the US sets firm limits, says researcher Diya Jiang.

Diya Jiang

Wanting Greenland: When the strong stop pretending

The US’s desire to have Greenland is deeply unpopular, whether in the US or in Greenland, observes Danish academic Erik Baark. Ultimately, US President Trump’s disregard for international law, treaties or organisations lays bare the US’s reversion to gunboat diplomacy, ushering in a new era of geopolitics of the mighty.

Erik Baark

Will China’s US$1.2 trillion trade surplus overwhelm global trade?

China’s exports are booming like never before. With a US$1.2 trillion surplus, the world wonders: can global trade absorb it, or is a reckoning on the horizon? Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Chen Jing contemplates what China could do next.

Chen Jing

China’s economy is heading for a rough 2026

Economic growth might look quite bad in the early months of 2026, forcing Beijing to launch more pro-growth policies in the spring, which should help boost growth in the second quarter and later, says analyst Chen Long.

Chen Long

How ‘China Inc.’ is discovering its new world in Brazil

Chinese companies are turning Brazil into their new frontier, from electric vehicles and digital platforms to mining and energy, and navigating local challenges as they chart a daring new chapter in global expansion.

Caixin Global