Day: March 4, 2026
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Zimbabwe Says Fast-Tracked Ban Over Lithium Export Rush
Zimbabwe fast-tracked the entry of a ban on raw lithium exports last week after mining companies engaged in an "unacceptable scramble" to export ahead of the planned entry into force, the government said Tuesday. Securing access to rare earths and other ...
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Myth and Misperception: Can Vietnam’s Naval Bases Check Chinese Maritime Assertiveness?
In this edition of M&M, I want to analyze the role of Vietnam’s naval bases in checking China’s maritime assertiveness. This is an important factor to consider because Vietnam enjoys some of the world’s best natural deep-water harbors. Two of them, Da Nang and Cam Ranh, directly ...
Chinese Cable Project Opposed by U.S. Sparks Row in Chile
U.S. concerns about a proposed Chinese fiber-optic cable linking Asia with South America under the sea led to a spat Tuesday between Chile's outgoing left-wing president and his Washington-backed successor. Hard-right politician Jose Antonio Kast is set to be inaugurated as ...
China’s Foreign Minister Tells Israeli Counterpart That Attacks on Iran Must End
China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the U.S. against Iran and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Tuesday, according to his ministry. "Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it often creates new ones ...
U.S. Proposes Critical Minerals Trade Bloc Aimed at Countering China
By Michael Martina, Simon Lewis and Jarrett Renshaw U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, proposing coordinated price floors as Washington escalates efforts to loosen China's grip on materials ...
China Backs Pakistan’s Anti-Separatism Efforts Following Attacks
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned a recent spate of attacks by militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. A series of coordinated attacks from 31 January in more than ten cities left 30 civilians and around 18 security personnel dead. Subsequent battles killed more than 150 fighters.
Xi, Putin Hail Ties in Video Call as Ukraine War Nears Anniversary
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed their ties during a video call on Wednesday held in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of Moscow's war in Ukraine. In a Russian state TV broadcast of the ...
Italy, France and Germany to Lead EU Critical Materials Stockpiling Plan, Sources Say
By Pratima Desai and Julia Payne The European Union is pushing ahead with plans to stockpile critical materials, with Italy, France, and Germany set to take leading roles as the bloc moves to cut reliance on China, four sources with knowledge of the ...
Senators Push $70 Billion Funding Deal to Support Trump’s Critical Minerals Push, FT Reports
Senators will introduce legislation on Wednesday to reauthorize funding for the United States Export-Import Bank for the next decade, as lawmakers try to inject an extra $70 billion into the agency to support U.S. President Donald Trump's critical minerals push, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
China Announces Plans to Stockpile Commodities
The Chinese government has announced wide-ranging plans to build up its reserves of both mineral and agricultural commodities. The move comes as the Trump administration announced its Project Vault, a plan to stockpile supplies of critical minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, ...
What to Watch After China’s Strategic Setback at the Panama Canal
On Thursday last week, Panama’s Supreme Court delivered a ruling that was felt in some of the highest offices in both Beijing and Washington. The court declared that the concession granting control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports to Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based ...
Anger Mounts in Senegal Over Chinese Firm’s Sanitary Pad Scandal
Anger is mounting in Senegal over the alleged use of expired materials in sanitary pads and diapers by a leading Chinese firm, which denies any wrongdoing or bribery. The West African country's pharmaceutical regulator late last year accused Softcare of possessing ...
China’s Push for Low-Carbon Metals Is Forcing a Reckoning in Indonesia’s Nickel Boom
By Muyi Yang and Dody Setiawan At the G20 Summit in late 2025, China unveiled the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Mining and Minerals. While broader geopolitical headlines overshadowed this news, it carries crucial implications.
CK Hutchison Begins Arbitration Against Panama Over Annulled Canal Contract
Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison said in a statement Tuesday it has initiated international arbitration against Panama, after a ruling by the country's top court annulled a concession allowing it to operate ports at the Panama Canal. Panama's Supreme Court last ...
China’s Nanshan Group Plans 100,000-Bpd Refinery in Indonesia
By Chen Aizhu and Fransiska Nangoy China's Shandong Nanshan Group plans to build an oil refinery on Indonesia's Bintan island, where the privately controlled firm operates a large alumina plant, according to three Chinese sources and an Indonesian official.
China Warns Panama of ‘Heavy Prices’ to Pay After CK Hutchison Contract Quashed
China warned Panama on Tuesday there would be "heavy prices" to pay after a court ruling there annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's contract to operate two ports at the Panama Canal. China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the ruling ...
Peru Exports Jump as China Trade Accelerates After Chancay Port Launch
Peru's exports hit a new record in 2025, jumping 21% from the prior year, fueled by the launch of a massive port on the country's central coast. The South American country's exports totaled $90.08 billion last year, thanks to higher sales ...
China’s BYD Designing New Model for India: Senior Official
China's BYD, the world's top electric carmaker, is preparing a new model for India as it looks to continue its rapid overseas growth, executive vice president Stella Li told AFP on Tuesday. Engineers at BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen, southern China, are ...
China E-Mobility Weekly Digest: More Speed, Less Policymaking Will Power African Countries’ Electric Vehicle Dreams
This is a free preview of the upcoming Africa EVs Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service. This week, we continue looking at the alternatives African countries have for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. Across the continent, employment ...
U.S. Targets China’s Dominance in Africa’s Critical Minerals With New Stockpile Plan
The United States is moving to build new stockpiles of critical minerals as part of an effort aimed at countering China’s dominance over supply chains that run through Africa and other parts of the Global South and underpin clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and defense industries. ...
China Calls on U.S. to ‘Immediately Release’ Venezuela’s Maduro
China called on the United States on Sunday to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after Washington carried out a strike on Caracas and captured the leader. "China calls on the U.S. to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro ...
After Venezuela, China Is Watching How Washington Defines Its Sphere of Influence
By Shaun Tandon With a major attack to arrest Venezuela's leader, President Donald Trump is showing that the United States will impose its will in its neighborhood -- and the lesson may not be lost on Russia and China.
S. Korean President Heads to China, Hoping to Sidestep Taiwan Tensions
By Hieun Shin South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung heads to China on Sunday, eager to boost economic ties with Seoul's largest trading partner while keeping a lid on potentially explosive issues such as Taiwan. ...
Iranian women hold portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funerals of security forces personnel killed in recent protests in Tehran on January 14, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP
By Andrea Ghiselli More than a hundred children at a girls’ primary school in Minab, in southern Iran, are reported dead. Missiles and drones are striking targets across Israel as well as the Gulf, from Kuwait to Oman, with the barrage not limited to military ...
Zimbabwe Says Fast-Tracked Ban Over Lithium Export Rush
Zimbabwe fast-tracked the entry of a ban on raw lithium exports last week after mining companies engaged in an "unacceptable scramble" to export ahead of the planned entry into force, the government said Tuesday. Securing access to rare earths and other ...
Chinese Cable Project Opposed by U.S. Sparks Row in Chile
U.S. concerns about a proposed Chinese fiber-optic cable linking Asia with South America under the sea led to a spat Tuesday between Chile's outgoing left-wing president and his Washington-backed successor. Hard-right politician Jose Antonio Kast is set to be inaugurated as ...
China’s Foreign Minister Tells Israeli Counterpart That Attacks on Iran Must End
China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the U.S. against Iran and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Tuesday, according to his ministry. "Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it often creates new ones ...