Fuel prices cast a dark shadow over Asia travel season

There will be no real winners in traditional tourism this summer – only airlines, tourist destinations and central banks left counting the cost.

Russian drones hit Chinese ship before Putin visit

By hitting a vessel manned by citizens of its most critical economic lifeline, the Kremlin risks complicating diplomatic optics just as Putin seeks deeper financial and military alignment with Beijing to sustain his war economy.

Trump-Xi summit sparks Taiwan headlines, but raises doubts over US grasp of bigger picture

Trump freezes Taiwan arms deal as leverage in links to China

Even before his trip, Trump characterised Taiwan as the most important issue for Xi and has since claimed it had dominated discussions during their summit.

Boeing secures China deal for 200 aircraft

Boeing has confirmed that China has committed to purchasing 200 aircraft following a visit to Beijing by Donald Trump, in a deal that could expand significantly with potential orders for a further 750 planes.

Pakistan’s debut Panda Bond issue oversubscribed amid strong investor demand

Pakistan’s first-ever Panda Bond issuance received an overwhelming response from investors and was oversubscribed, marking a major milestone in the country’s financial engagement with China and international capital markets.

Energy, Iran dominate final Trump-Xi Beijing summit

The emphasis on energy security and trade deficit reduction suggests a move towards a more transactional, stabilised partnership that prioritises domestic growth over ideological confrontation.

Rubio affirms Taiwan status quo following Trump-Xi talks

US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged following high level talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 14.

Xi warns Trump of collision if Taiwan mishandled

The warning follows Beijing's fierce condemnation of a massive US arms sale to Taipei valued at $11.1bn, which stands as the largest weapons deal ever approved for the island.

Washington approves Nvidia sales as Trump visits Beijing

Washington has authorised 10 Chinese technology giants to purchase Nvidia’s high-end H200 artificial intelligence processors.

Trump, Xi open high-stakes Beijing talks

The agenda for the talks spans a range of topics including tariffs, intensifying US–China competition over emerging technology, the Iran war and Taiwan.

Trump heading to Beijing for talks on trade, Iran and Taiwan

US President Donald Trump is set to visit China from May 13 for a round of high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused primarily on trade, security and mounting geopolitical tensions.

Pinglu Canal highlights China’s logistics-first infrastructure strategy

China’s latest major infrastructure project, the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi in the south of the country, is being described by local sources and in online forums in sweeping terms - a transformative trade route of sorts.

The Philippines bets big on nickel’s battery boom

The Philippine nickel sector is itching for a bigger slice of the global critical minerals pie as the world’s appetite for battery metals goes into overdrive.

Pakistan plans debut Panda bond issue to tap Chinese capital markets

Pakistan is also evaluating alternative external borrowing options, including Eurobonds and commercial debt facilities, as it looks to replace a $3.5bn funding arrangement from the United Arab Emirates and maintain adequate foreign currency reserves.

Copper nation - Indonesia races to become an EV supply chain powerhouse

Indonesia’s ability to scale its copper output and refining capacity places it at the centre of the 'Green Cold War', allowing it to navigate between major powers by offering a high-capacity alternative to more volatile mining jurisdictions.

Europe’s Russian Arctic LNG imports from Yamal hit record high in first four months of 2026

The EU imported more Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas in the first four months of 2026 than in any equivalent period since the Yamal LNG project began exporting in 2017, according to new analysis of Kpler shipping data.

China’s Treasury sell-off gains pace as fault lines appear in dollar dominance

That China is increasing its share in non-US sovereign debt at the same time many countries are purchasing Treasuries is classic China, with Beijing now starting to don the puppetmaster’s gloves.

India's changing FDI landscape

Capital with adversarial Chinese or Pakistani ownership will hit a wall that each successive regulation has made harder to get around.

China's lithium push in Latin America locks region into raw materials trap, report warns

Beijing controls 65% of global lithium refining while Latin America supplies the raw materials and absorbs the environmental costs. A new report warns the region risks permanent relegation to the bottom of the energy transition value chain.