In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...
Category: Import
Indonesia Trade Surplus Masks a Persistent China Deficit Problem
China has tightened its hold on Indonesia’s economy, emerging as the largest buyer of non-oil exports (22.64%) and the largest source of non-oil imports (40.35%) of Indonesia's trade from January to July 2025. China is Indonesia’s top buyer of non-oil ...
China Redirects Exports to Thailand as U.S. Tariffs Bite
China is redirecting billions of dollars’ worth of exports into Thailand as new U.S. tariffs make access to the American market more difficult, raising concerns about widening trade deficits and the future of Thai industries. Thailand could face the highest ...
Indonesia’s Imports from China Hit $40 Billion, Surplus Persists
Indonesia posted a $19.5 billion trade surplus between January and June 2025, up from $15.6 billion in the same period last year. The record marked its 62nd consecutive month of surplus, according to official data released Friday by Badan ...
Vietnam Posts $10B Surplus in 2025, Deficit with China Hits $66B
Vietnam posted a $10.2B trade surplus in 2025, but a surging $66.5B deficit with China underscores deepening supply chain dependencies.
U.S. Demands That Vietnam Cut Trade with China
The United States reportedly sent a “long” list of “tough” requests to Vietnamese trade negotiators as a prerequisite for a trade deal. The demands include reducing its imports of Chinese-made industrial components and reshaping its supply chains to exclude China. The ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
China’s Industrial Machinery and Mechanical Equipment Drives Indonesia’s Imports in 2025
Nearly four in ten non-oil imports entering Indonesia now originate from China, most of them industrial machinery. In just four months, Chinese goods worth $25.7 billion entered Southeast Asia’s largest economy, underscoring China’s role as a key driver of ...
Cambodia’s 2025 Trade Boom Pulls It Deeper Into the U.S.-China Crossfire
A record trade deficit with China and surging U.S. trade surplus drove Cambodia’s 17% trade growth in early 2025, spotlighting structural asymmetries and rising exposure to external shocks. Two giants now shape Cambodia’s trade orbit, China and the United States, pulling ...
Cambodia’s 2025 Trade Boom Pulls It Deeper Into the U.S.-China Crossfire
A record trade deficit with China and surging U.S. trade surplus drove Cambodia’s 17% trade growth in early 2025, spotlighting structural asymmetries and rising exposure to external shocks. Two giants now shape Cambodia’s trade orbit, China and the United States, pulling ...
Xi Jinping’s Malaysia Visit Poised to Catalyze China–ASEAN Free Trade Expansion
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia today is more than a ceremonial display; it’s seen as a calculated move to solidify China’s economic influence in Southeast Asia, just as the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0) nears completion and Washington reintroduces sweeping tariffs ...
Vietnam Aims for $454 Billion in 2025 Exports, but China-U.S. Trade War Poses Risks
Vietnam aims for $454 billion in export revenue by 2025, setting an ambitious 12% year-on-year growth target despite growing economic pressures from China - U.S. trade war. Early trade data shows a promising 9.9% increase in exports in the first ...
Vietnam-China Trade Tops $31 Billion in Early 2025, Exports Decline as Beijing Tightens Controls
Vietnam’s trade with China surged in early 2025, but not in Vietnam’s favor. Fresh data shows that while imports from China are rising, Vietnamese exports are struggling to keep up. In the first two months of 2025, bilateral trade exceeded ...
Vietnam’s 2025 Economic Surge: China’s Dual Role Boosts Growth but Deepens Trade Deficit
Vietnam’s economic story in the first two months of 2025 took an interesting turn, driven largely by deepening ties with China. While the country enjoyed robust export gains and a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI), its trade deficit with ...