China’s Export Curbs Spur Rare Earth Scramble

China’s announcement last week that exports of refined rare earth minerals, permanent magnets using these elements, and the equipment used to refine them, has sparked panic among the countries that depend on these exports for high-technology products, including weapons and wind turbines.

Singapore Probes Firm Accused of Illegally Supplying Nvidia Chips to China Amid U.S. Export Crackdown

Singaporean authorities have launched an investigation into a local firm, Megaspeed, that allegedly sold millions of dollars' worth of Nvidia chips to users in China, a violation of U.S. export controls. “The Singapore Police Force confirms that investigations are ongoing into ...

China to License Rare-Earth Exports to Screen Security Risks

China’s Commerce Ministry on Sunday says rare-earth export licenses will screen security risks, not halt trade nor impose an export ban. Compliant civilian applications “will get approval,” with a “very limited” supply-chain impact. It says partners were notified in ...

China Tops Indonesia Trade, August Surplus Highest Since 2022

China was Indonesia’s top buyer and top supplier as Indonesia’s goods trade surplus reached $5.49 billion in August. The number is the highest since November 2022, according to the Indonesian statistics agency. Indonesia recorded a $29.14 billion trade surplus ...

BYD: 1 in 5 EVs Will Be Exported in 2025 as Production Ramps

China’s BYD expects to export 800,000 to 1,000,000 EVs in 2025, about a fifth of its 2025 sales as it moves more cars on its own vessels and adds capacity overseas. “We estimate that the proportion of our overseas sales would ...

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 ...

China Puts EV Exports Under Permit Regime from 2026

China will add electric vehicles, or EVs, to its export-permit list effective Jan. 1, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce said, citing “healthy development” of the sector. The step brings EVs into line with permit regimes already applied to other ...

China–ASEAN Trade Nears $1,05 Trillion as Surplus Hits $278 Billion

China and ASEAN are set to pass the trade threshold in 2025, with nearly $1.05 trillion in goods. That would leave China with a surplus that swells past $278 billion, a big step up from 2024. Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the ...

U.S. Tariffs Hit China’s Exports; Pressure Rises in Southeast Asia

China’s exports to the United States fell 25% between April and August 2025, about $57 billion, yet shipments redirected to Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe helped offset the hit, a recent UNDP study finds. Southeast Asia took the most significant ...

China Leads Vietnam’s Electronics Component Imports, $33.5 Billion in 2025

China was the largest supplier of computers, electronic products, and components to Vietnam in January–August. Imports from China reached $33.5 billion, placing it ahead of South Korea at $24.1 billion, Taiwan at nearly $15 billion, and Japan at $5.4 billion. ...

China Leads Thailand EV Export Push as Rules Ease

Chinese brands now dominate the Thailand EV market. New industry data show battery electrics at 18 percent of domestic sales through July, a sign that Thai buyers are embracing EVs even as the broader car market stays flat because credit remains tight.

China Gets Second 0% Tariff Path to Chile EV Market via Indonesia

China now has two ways to sell electric cars in the Chile EV market without an import tax. Besides the China–Chile trade deal, Chile said EVs (electric vehicles) made in Indonesia can also enter at 0% under IC-CEPA (Indonesia–Chile ...

China’s EV Exports Up as BEVs Beat Hybrids, Home Sales Slow

China’s electric vehicle exports jumped in August, with pure electrics, BEVs, pulling ahead of hybrids, a shift that could deepen trade tensions as Europe and the United States face a wave of low-cost Chinese models. Passenger car shipments abroad reached ...
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