Day: July 3, 2025

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China’s Copper Smelting Boom Backfires Amid Global Supply Strains

Over the past decade, China positioned itself as a leader in copper refining, accounting for more than half of global capacity. Its strategy designed to secure control over key critical minerals meant to power everything from clean energy grids to electric vehicles, defense equipment, and construction ...

Fiji PM Says Chinese Base Is Not Welcome

Fiji opposes the idea of a Chinese military base in the Pacific Islands, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday. He told the National Press Club in Sydney that the island countries are navigating Chinese power and that Beijing knows he would lobby other countries in ...

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Makes Philippines Port Call

The nuclear-powered U.S. carrier George Washington arrived off the Philippine capital Thursday for a port visit, as the two allies increase defense cooperation aimed at contesting China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The Nimitz-class vessel's port call came the ...

Lithium Prices Are Crashing, But Some Producers Are Doubling Down. Why?

There is a puzzling shift unfolding in the global lithium market. Prices have collapsed by over 70% from their 2022 highs to around $12,000 per tonne, and yet, against all market logic, some Chinese lithium giants are not retreating.  Instead, ...

China Warns Against Trade Deals That ‘Hurt’ Others After Vietnam-U.S. Pact

China warned on Thursday against trade deals that "hurt third parties" after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had reached an agreement with Vietnam. "China has always advocated that all parties resolve economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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Lessons for Europe From China’s Critical Minerals Strategy in Africa

While the U.S., India, and countries in the Persian Gulf are all moving quickly to establish new critical mineral supply chains, the European Union is struggling to follow suit, particularly in Africa. The EU currently lacks a cohesive policy framework that ...

Brazil’s BRICS Balancing Act Faces a New Test in Rio

The 17th BRICS Summit kicks off this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, but preserving the group’s original mantra of non-alignment is proving to be a challenge for Brazil, the summit’s host. Since returning to power, President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva ...

U.S.-Vietnam Trade Deal Sows New China Uncertainty

By Tran Thi Minh Ha Vietnam's trade deal with the United States averts the most punishing of Donald Trump's "reciprocal" levies but analysts warned it could provoke a fresh standoff between Washington and Beijing. The ...

Asian Stocks Mixed as Traders Shrug at U.S.-Vietnam Trade Deal

Stocks struggled in Asia on Thursday as investors gave a lukewarm reception to the U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, while the dollar eased ahead of key U.S. jobs data that could impact Federal Reserve interest rates plans. Attention was also on Washington as ...

Thailand in Last-Minute U.S. Talks as 36% Tariff Looms

With just days left before the deadline, Thailand is urging the United States to cap new reciprocal tariffs on Thai goods at 10%, as Bangkok races to avoid steep increases that could climb as high as 36%. Thailand’s Finance Minister ...

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Shandong Arrives in Hong Kong

China's first domestically built aircraft carrier sailed into Hong Kong on Thursday, just days after the city marked 28 years under Chinese rule. Commissioned in 2019, the more than 300-metre (1,000-foot) Shandong is China's second carrier and key to the country's ...

Modi Visits Ghana to Strengthen Ties as India Seeks to Rival China in Africa

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ghana's President John Mahama agreed on Wednesday to deepen security and mining ties during the first visit by an Indian leader in three decades. Resource-rich Ghana, seen as a beacon of democratic stability in Africa, ...
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