Tag - trade

 
 

TRADE

The right-wing slogan “Make Europe Great Again” — a play on Donald Trump’s campaign slogan — is gaining prominence in European politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2024
‘Make Europe Great Again’ is becoming 'MEGA.' Should Japan worry?
The right-wing "Make Europe Great Again" movement is gaining traction, but Japan shouldn't put it in the same box as its more problematic cousin, MAGA, in the U.S.
A Chinese worker organizes plastic doll heads after painting them at a toy factory in Xietang, Zhejiang Province, China, in 2015.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2024
China’s plastics boom is set to create another trade headache
Parts of the country’s sprawling petrochemicals sector are running at as little as half capacity as producers cut back.
Canada Day is held on July 1 to mark Canada’s founding in 1867. This year, the country celebrates its 157th anniversary among resounding successes and tough challenges at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2024
Canada at 157: Lots to celebrate, but also to rethink
At 157, Canada is stable and prosperous, but cracks are starting to form. Its citizens think politicians are out of touch and the country holds little sway abroad.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping with French President Emmanuel Macron in France in May. As part of a charm offensive, Xi visited France and other European countries in the spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 1, 2024
Expectations vs. reality of Xi Jinping's charm offensive
Beijing is trying to win back favor in several countries to tackle its economic woes, with Xi courting bilateral relations with leaders in Europe and beyond.
Workers transport soil containing rare-earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, China, in October 2010.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2024
China issues rare-earth regulations to further protect domestic supply
The rules focus on the mining, smelting and trade in the critical materials used to make products from magnets in electric vehicles to consumer electronics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ride in an Aurus car in Pyongyang in this image released on June 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2024
Russian-made car that Putin gifted to Kim uses South Korean parts, data shows
Customs records show that the company that builds the car uses millions of dollars in imported parts, many arriving in Russia from South Korea.
Container ships are berthed at PSA's Pasir Panjang Terminal in Singapore in July 2019.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 26, 2024
Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks
Global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60% of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia.
Ursula von der Leyen is lined up for a second term as European Commission president. Together with the EU’s new leadership, she should preserve her tough stance on China.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2024
New EU leaders must unite on China
As Ursula von der Leyen lines up for a second term as European Commission president, she should continue taking a tough stance on China together with other EU leaders.
Fast fashion e-commerce company Shein's logo outside its office in Guangzhou, China, on June 11
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2024
What is at stake for China-founded Shein as EU rule looms
Shein has faced more than 90 lawsuits alleging it plagiarized others’ designs or products.
A rendering of the next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed and manufactured by Japan, Britain and Italy
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 25, 2024
Concerns raised over strength of Japan's fighter jet export 'brakes'
The closed nature of decision-making has been criticized, while worries persist over the potential use of Japanese equipment.
Exports from New Zealand to the U.S. rose to a record $5.4 billion in the 12 months through May.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 24, 2024
U.S. usurps Australia as New Zealand’s No. 2 export market
Exports to the U.S. rose to a record 8.8 billion New Zealand dollars ($5.4 billion) in the 12 months through May.
The holding lot of the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation-Volkswagen joint venture in Shanghai in April 2023. As the European Union moves to impose tariffs on Chinese cars, Germany, with an auto industry deeply enmeshed with China, is stuck in the middle.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2024
Germany hopes to head off a trade war with China
China’s EV exports threaten European automakers, but companies like Volkswagen have extensive operations in China and fear retaliatory actions by Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attend a meeting in Harbin, China, on May 17.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 21, 2024
Russia and China find workarounds as the U.S. sanctions net widens
One workaround involves smaller, regional banks that can, for the time being, fly below the U.S. sanctions radar.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a report released Thursday that it has placed Japan, which runs a large trade surplus with the United States, back on its monitoring list over currency practices.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 21, 2024
U.S. adds Japan to currency watchlist amid struggles with weak yen
Japan spent a record ¥9.8 trillion ($62 billion) earlier this year to prop up the yen.
Electric cars are stacked for export at the international container terminal of Taicang Port in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 20, 2024
Europe’s EV battery plans fade on China price war and U.S. subsidies
As electric-vehicle sales slow, companies including Volkswagen, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz are scaling back or refocusing battery projects.
Beijing’s response to the European Union's proposed tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles looks more like the targeted playbook it deployed against Australia a few years ago. The government and state media are already publicly identifying specific products that could get taxed.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024
China eyes trade war targets across Europe for counterstrikes
Among the possible targets: brandy, pork, wine, dairy products and cars.
Most Japanese companies see no need for their government to follow the U.S. in raising tariffs on Chinese imports, a survey has found.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024
Most Japanese firms see no need to follow U.S. with tariffs on China
U.S. President Joe Biden last month unveiled steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese goods.
Sailors from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower assist distressed mariners rescued from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor that was attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024
Shipping industry urges Red Sea action as Houthis sink second vessel
A Greek-owned coal carrier attacked by Yemen's Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed.
Japan's exports in May showed the largest year-on-year increase since November 2022, but persistent weakness in the yen is raising concerns about the potential for a resurgence in cost-push inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2024
Japan’s exports grow most since 2022 on boost from weak yen
Exports increased 13.5% from a year ago in May, marking a sixth month of gains, the Finance Ministry reported.
Washington is talking to allies about adding 11 more Chinese chipmaking factories to a restricted list.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2024
U.S. pushes Japan and Netherlands to muzzle China's chipmaking abilities
Washington is talking to allies about adding 11 more Chinese chipmaking factories to a restricted list, a source said.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it