China EVs in Indonesia: Chery Tops September, Local Assembly Rises

The competition among China's EVs in Indonesia tightened in September. Indonesia’s automakers’ association, Gaikindo, announced that Chery tops September, BYD still leads the year, and the contest is shifting from imports to local assembly. Local assembly can cut taxes ...

Vietnam Now Second in Southeast Asia’s China-Led EV Market

China’s low-priced electric cars are powering Southeast Asia’s EV surge, and Vietnam has emerged as the region’s No. 2 market year-to-date on company-reported figures, closing on Thailand’s lead. The comparison is based on Vietnam’s total, which reflects VinFast deliveries, ...

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 ...

Asian Markets Wobble as Trump-Xi Talks Offset by Musk Row

Asian markets stuttered Friday as optimism from "very positive" talks between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping was wiped out by the stunning public row between the U.S. leader and Elon Musk. The much-anticipated discussions between the heads of the world's ...

Offshore Trading of China’s Currency Sinks to Historic Low, Presenting Yet Another Problem for Developing Countries

China’s offshore yuan fell to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday as trade tensions between the United States and China escalated after days of turmoil over tariffs. The offshore yuan, which is circulated outside mainland China and is ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

How to Lure Chinese Financing Back to the Global South: Report

Global South countries face increasing financing pressure, endangering their ability to keep developing while also implementing measures to deal with a growing climate crisis. The disruption of global trade is coupled with a larger megatrend: flows of international capital to the developing world have turned negative. This means that countries are now routinely paying more to service loans than they receive in disbursements.

The vast majority of Global South borrowers ...

Indonesia Eyes U.S. Market Share from China and Others, Offers Trade Concessions to Trump’s Tariffs

Indonesia is moving quickly to convince Washington it’s not the problem — announcing trade concessions, cutting import duties on American goods, and signaling it’s open to buying more. All this was done to defuse tensions with U.S. tariffs about ...

China and the New World Trade War

U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that he will not back down from his massive tariff campaign that he launched last week and even promised to impose even higher duties on Chinese goods in response to Beijing's 34% tariff retaliation ...

“Ugly Monday” Kicks Off China’s Response to U.S. Tariffs

China’s stock market suffered the largest losses since 2022 as investors braced for the impact of China’s countermeasures to cumulative tariffs of more than 50% imposed by the Trump administration. Beijing announced 34% retaliatory tariffs on all U.S. imports on Friday. The announcement came during a long weekend ...

China’s Electric Vehicles Dominate Indonesia’s EV Market in January 2025

China’s electric vehicle (EV) brands continue expanding rapidly in Indonesia, with BYD and Chery leading the charge in January 2025. The latest sales data show Chinese Battery Electric Vehicles BEVs dominating the market, as demand for seven-seater and off-road ...

Chinese Brands Spark Rebound in SE Asia Smartphone Market

Canalys’ latest research reveals that Southeast Asia’s smartphone market rebounded in 2024, with vendors shipping 96.7 million units – up 11% year on year after two years of decline. OPPO led the market for the first time, capturing an 18% share ...

Most Asian Markets Rise After Trump AI Pledge but China Tariff Woes Return

Most Asian markets extended a global rally Wednesday as investors gave a cautious welcome to Donald Trump's first full day in office amid hopes he will take a more cautious approach on trade than initially feared. Software investment giant SoftBank soared ...