Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate Blame games, tit-for-tat threats, off-again on-again meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and wild tariff swings seem to be the recent order of the day. According to former government officials and analysts, however, this should come as no surprise – it’s just the price you pay when diplomatic norms are brushed off. In the latest twist in the saga, Trump on Friday swung from tough to conciliatory, appearing to reverse threats made a week earlier to cancel...

South China Morning Post

Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate

Former government officials and analysts believe this is the price you pay when diplomatic negotiation fails and compromise is ignored.

US-China tensions ease as Bessent confirms call with counterpart He Lifeng US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed plans to speak with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Friday in a further sign of easing tensions ahead of a potential meeting between the two countries’ leaders. “The vice-premier, who is my counterpart, and I will be speaking this evening at around 8:30, 9 o’clock,” Bessent said at the White House on Friday. The Treasury secretary added that He will also join him and a delegation in Malaysia “probably a week from tomorrow” to prepare for a meeting...

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US-China tensions ease as Bessent confirms call with counterpart He Lifeng

Talks resume after threats of 100% tariffs and rare earth curbs, signalling a pause in the trade fight ahead of Trump-Xi meeting.

Trump meets Zelensky, says he hopes Tomahawks won’t be needed to end war US President Donald Trump appeared cool on Friday on the prospect of sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, suggesting to counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House meeting that they may not be necessary if he can broker a peace deal. Zelensky came to Washington looking for arms to bolster his country’s forces in Ukraine’s three-year-old conflict with Russia, but Trump frequently highlighted his peace summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a matter of weeks, as Trump...

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Trump meets Zelensky, says he hopes Tomahawks won’t be needed to end war

The US president is also set to meet Putin, though some see this as a stalling tactic by the Russian leader.

US lawmakers urge Trump to attend key Indo-Pacific summits A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged US President Donald Trump to personally attend three major Indo-Pacific summits this fall, warning that his absence could hand China a strategic advantage as Beijing aggressively expands its influence across the region. In a letter released on Friday, members of Congress stressed that the Indo-Pacific region remains “vital to America’s security and prosperity”, and is at the centre of “strategic competition” with China. They called Trump’s...

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US lawmakers urge Trump to attend key Indo-Pacific summits

Trump’s participation in summits would be a powerful response to Beijing’s diplomatic campaign in region, Congress members argue in letter.

UK’s Prince Andrew giving up Duke of York title because of Epstein scandal British royal Prince Andrew said on Friday that he was giving up his title of the Duke of York after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines. The younger brother of King Charles said he and the royal family had decided “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family”, Prince Andrew said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.” It comes...

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UK’s Prince Andrew giving up Duke of York title because of Epstein scandal

The royal’s friendship with the US sex offender is back in the headlines because of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre.

King Charles to be first UK monarch to pray with pope in centuries The Catholic Church and Church of England, divided for centuries over issues that now include the ordination of female priests, will take a historic step on the path to unity next week when Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in the Sistine Chapel, officials said Friday. The October 23 ecumenical prayer service, drawing on the shared concern for care of God’s creation, marks the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two Christian churches pray together. Buckingham...

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King Charles to be first UK monarch to pray with pope in centuries

The occasion at the Sistine Chapel would mark a historic step towards unity between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

US military seizes survivors of strike on alleged drug vessel in Caribbean The US military is holding two survivors aboard a Navy ship after rescuing them from a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean hit by a US strike that killed two others, three sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. The disclosure, which has not been previously reported, raises the possibility that the survivors from Thursday’s strike are the first prisoners of war in a conflict declared by US President Donald Trump against a “narcoterrorist” threat he says is emanating from...

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US military seizes survivors of strike on alleged drug vessel in Caribbean

The captives could be the first prisoners of war in a conflict declared by Trump against what he calls a narcoterrorist threat from Venezuela.

US seizure of tycoon’s US$13 billion in bitcoin raises anonymity questions The seizure by US authorities of US$13.4 billion worth of bitcoin from an alleged Cambodian criminal has raised questions over the safety of the digital assets and prompted frantic speculation in the crypto community over how the feat was accomplished. Weak private keys and insider theft could have made it possible for US law-enforcement agencies to track down the bitcoin privately held by Chen Zhi, who is accused of running a massive “pig butchering” operation in Cambodia, according to experts....

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US seizure of tycoon’s US$13 billion in bitcoin raises anonymity questions

Seizure of alleged ‘pig butchering’ scammer’s tokens is latest in series of cases showing law enforcement’s ability to confiscate crypto.

The Great Mall: how China is turning foreign tourists into shoppers Foreign tourists in China are increasingly drawn to shopping, said Steven Zhao, CEO of China Highlights, a travel agency that organises tours of the country. “They’ll buy drones and take them back home,” he said, noting the trend has become “more obvious” over the past two years – especially among Middle Eastern travellers – as China produces an outsized share of the global total, with some devices small enough to fit in the hand. “Drone prices are cheap and the choices are numerous,” he said,...

South China Morning Post

The Great Mall: how China is turning foreign tourists into shoppers

Could tax refunds and visa-free travel turn the country into a bastion of international shopping trips?

Envoys take special tour of Hong Kong’s exhibition on Chinese side of WWII China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has organised its first tour for diplomats and business chamber representatives of an exhibition on the country’s war of resistance against Japan, with a Beijing official saying the event promotes remembering history, cherishing peace and creating a better future. More than 20 consuls general, consuls and representatives from foreign commerce chambers on Friday afternoon joined the visit to “United in Arms, Standing for Peace: 80th Anniversary of Chinese...

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Envoys given special tour of Hong Kong exhibition on Chinese victory in WWII

Exhibition at Hong Kong Museum of History aims to encourage learning from the past, cherishing peace and creating a better future, official says.

Trump’s ex-adviser Bolton arrives at court on classified secrets charges John Bolton arrived at a federal courthouse on Friday to surrender to authorities and make his first court appearance on charges accusing the former Trump administration national security adviser of storing top secret records at home and sharing with relatives diary-like notes that contained classified information. Bolton did not comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he is expected to make an initial appearance before a judge on the 18-count indictment...

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Ex-Trump aide turned foe Bolton pleads not guilty to classified secrets charges

The case against the former Trump aide centres on private diary entries with information classified as top secret.

Sinking Shanghai, iPhone Air sells out in China: SCMP daily highlights Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Double whammy: Shanghai is sinking while sea level rises fast Shanghai is sinking while the sea level along China’s coastline is rising fast – its fastest in 4,000 years – possibly threatening China’s financial hub and the global supply chain, scientists warn in a new study. 2. Ships divert, directors resign as US-China port fees rock shipping...

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Sinking Shanghai, iPhone Air sells out in China: SCMP daily highlights

From the impact of US-China port fees to Beijing’s drills in the Scarborough Shoal, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Trump confirms Xi meeting, calls 100% China tariffs ‘not sustainable’ US President Donald Trump said his proposed 100 per cent tariff on goods from China would not be sustainable but blamed China for the latest impasse in trade talks that began with Beijing tightening control over its rare earth exports. Asked whether such a high tariff was sustainable and what that might do to the economy, Trump replied, “It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is”. “They forced me to do that,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast on Friday. Trump...

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Trump confirms Xi meeting, retreats on 100% tariffs: ‘not sustainable’

US president softens tone but points to Beijing’s rare earth controls for ‘forcing’ a high number ahead of sit-down at Apec summit.

Can US and China avoid ‘dangerous levels of tension’? The United States could help stabilise relations with Beijing by scaling back its military activities in the South China Sea and restraining Taiwan, a report by a think tank has suggested. Researchers from the Rand Corporation argued that stabilising the ongoing US-China rivalry was “not only possible but can serve the interests of both sides”. Although they said that the two countries were “very far from even conceptualising how their rivalry could end or be transcended”, they should look for...

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Can US and China avoid ‘dangerous levels of tension’?

Report suggests Washington should urge Taiwan to show restraint and there may be room for negotiation over the South China Sea.

Army officer sworn in as Madagascar’s president after military takeover Madagascar’s coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as president on Friday, after the military took power in the island nation this week following youth-led protests that forced Andry Rajoelina to flee. Rajoelina, whom lawmakers impeached after he fled abroad at the weekend, has condemned the takeover and refused to step down despite widespread defections in the security forces. The African Union and the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres have condemned the coup,...

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Army officer sworn in as Madagascar’s president after military takeover

Colonel Michael Randrianirina took the oath of office after a military power grab that sent President Andry Rajoelina fleeing.

Peru’s new president refuses to resign as Gen Z-led protests turn violent Peru’s new President Jose Jeri refused to resign on Thursday following the death of a protester during a massive demonstration led by Gen Z activists demanding he step down. About 100 people were also injured, including 80 police officers and 10 journalists, according to authorities, who said they were investigating the shooting and killing of the protester. “My responsibility is to maintain the stability of the country; that is my responsibility and my commitment,” Jeri told the local press...

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Peru’s new president refuses to resign as Gen Z-led protests turn violent

Jose Jeri’s administration faces an early test, less than a week after Dina Boluarte was ousted as the country’s leader.

Indonesia’s North Korea ties stoke worries in Seoul over jet tech leak Indonesia’s renewed diplomatic engagement with North Korea has raised concerns in Seoul over the possible breach of sensitive technology related to the KF-21, a cutting-edge fighter jet jointly developed with the Southeast Asian nation. South Korean officials maintain that KF-21 data is protected under existing non-disclosure agreements with Jakarta. Still, critics point to Indonesia’s record on the joint project, including payment delays and leak scandals, which have undermined its...

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Indonesia’s North Korea ties stoke worries in Seoul over jet tech leak

Critics say past payment delays and leak scandals in the KF-21 aircraft project have undermined Jakarta’s credibility.

Micron to cease server memory chips business in China after ban, sources say Micron Technology plans to stop supplying server memory chips to data centres in China after the business failed to recover from a 2023 government ban on its products in critical Chinese infrastructure, according to two people briefed on the decision. Micron was the first US chipmaker to be targeted by Beijing – a move that was seen as retaliatory for a series of curbs by Washington aimed at impeding tech progress by China’s semiconductor industry. Since then, both Nvidia and Intel have...

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Micron to cease server memory chips business in China after ban, sources say

US memory chipmaker is expected to continue selling products to China’s automotive and smartphone sectors.

Chinese EV makers from Leapmotor to Zeekr challenge Tesla in premium segment Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) makers are raising the game in the premium segment by launching more spacious and longer-range models to challenge Tesla, which has been steadily losing market share on the mainland. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor has become the latest to join the fray against Elon Musk’s Tesla, with founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming describing its decision to move up the value chain as a mission to offer consumers the best EVs at the best prices. “Leapmotor is able to launch higher-end...

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Chinese EV makers from Leapmotor to Zeekr challenge Tesla in premium segment

Leapmotor’s D19 luxury SUV, unveiled on Thursday, is likely to be priced below Tesla’s new Model Y L, which starts at US$47,580.

US strikes on boats in Caribbean fuel speculation over missing fishermen Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations has accused the US of killing innocent people in the Caribbean, citing local reports that two of the men in the latest boat bombing were Trinidadian fishermen. “People from different countries - Colombia, Trinidad, etc - are suffering the effects of these massacres,” ambassador Samuel Moncada told reporters at the UN on Thursday, while holding up the cover story of local Trinidadian newspaper Guardian on the deaths. The comments reflected Venezuela’s...

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US strikes on boats in Caribbean fuel speculation over missing fishermen

Caribbean tensions rise as Venezuela accuses the US of killing innocent people in anti-drug operations.