Trump launches trade war with steep tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico
Trump placed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, with only a 10% tariff on Canadian energy imports. He also imposed a 10% tariff on goods from China.
China
'100% tariffs' — Trump vows trade war if BRICS replaces dollar as reserve currency
The BRICS group, composed of Russia, China, India, Brazil, and other nations, has been exploring ways to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar.
China is Russia's sole supplier of key military-use rare metals amid sanctions, RFE/RL reports
As Russia's options to purchase gallium and germanium from around the world almost disappeared, China became the sole supplier in 2023, the investigation said, citing leaked data from Russian customs databases.
Europe’s inaction on undersea infrastructure is a security time bomb
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over the security of energy and communication infrastructure in the Baltic Sea intensified. Initially, focus was placed on the threat of hybrid attacks from Russia. However, it became evident that Russian military vessels and so-called "research" ships were actively mapping the
China urges Russia, US to cut nuclear arsenals before joining disarmament talks
In a video message to the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his desire for "denuclearisation" and reiterated his call for trilateral discussions involving the U.S., Russia, and China.
Russian oil sales to China and India stall as sanctions increase costs, Reuters reports
The disruption has led to stalled trade in Russian crude loaded for March delivery as rising shipping costs created a significant price gap between buyers and sellers, according to Reuters.
Trump needs to 'understand where the threat is,' UK lawmaker says
U.S. President Donald Trump needs to "understand where the threat is" and not "force Ukraine into a bad deal," U.K. lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Kyiv Independent. In an interview in Kyiv alongside another U.K. lawmaker Layla Moran on Jan. 22, Duncan Smith urged Trump not
Trump says Russia's war in Ukraine 'will end immediately' if OPEC lowers oil prices
President Donald Trump also said Ukraine was "ready for a deal," but added "you'll have to ask Russia" about a peace agreement within a year.
Trump claims he urged China's Xi to help end Russia's war in Ukraine
"He's not done very much on that," Trump told reporters at the White House on Jan. 21. "He's got a lot of ... power, like we have a lot of power. I said, 'You ought to get it settled.' We did discuss it."
Chinese imports of Russian coal reportedly dropping due to sanctions, price
China has been decreasing coal imports from Russia despite a steady growth in demand, turning instead to Australian and Mongolian supplies, The Moscow Times reported on Jan. 21, citing Chinese customs data.
Xi declares readiness to bring China-Russia ties to 'new height' in call with Putin
Xi Jinping stressed that bilateral cooperation between Beijing and Moscow is gradually expanding and that joint trade is trending upward.
China’s support for Russia falls short in replacing Western materials, media reports
China has emerged as Russia's largest supplier of goods, but Chinese imports have failed to fully replace Western equipment and raw materials lost due to sanctions, The Moscow Times reported on Jan. 20, citing data from the Gaidar Institute.
China imports record amount of Russian crude oil in 2024, Reuters reports
In 2024, 108.5 million metric tons were imported from Russia, including through pipelines and sea deliveries.
Trump eyes China visit amid strained ties, WSJ reports
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in visiting China shortly after assuming office, potentially within his first 100 days, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
Former pro-Russian lawmaker charged with treason resurfaces in China
Former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev published a two-hour propaganda interview on Jan. 17, marking his first public appearance after almost three years of Russia's full-scale war.
US targets China-Russia sanctions evasion scheme with new measures
"Today's actions frustrate the Kremlin's ability to circumvent our sanctions and get access to the goods they need to build weapons for their war of choice in Ukraine," said Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
The question isn't if China will turn on Russia, but when
Like Czar Nicholas II, Russian President Vladimir Putin has misidentified his primary foe. Fighting a war of choice, he allows the real menace to his country to gather strength. China, not Ukraine, constitutes Russia’s existential threat. In the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Nicholas fought Japan over Manchuria for concessions that
Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers carrying 2 million barrels of crude idling off China’s coast, Bloomberg reports
Three sanctioned tankers carrying over 2 million barrels of Russian crude oil are floating off China's coast after they were hit by fresh U.S. sanctions last week, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 13.
Chinese port ban on US-sanctioned tankers tightens oil supply, Reuters reports
Shandong Port Group has prohibited U.S.-sanctioned tankers from accessing its ports in the eastern Chinese province, three traders familiar with the issue told Reuters. This region, home to many independent refiners, is a significant importer of oil from countries under U.S. embargoes.
Lukashenko to visit China ahead of Belarus presidential elections
The reported visit will be Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's third trip to China in three years. Lukashenko is likely looking to reduce Belarusian dependence on Russia, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said.
China may have stopped Putin from using nuclear weapons, Blinken says
"We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: 'Don't go there,'" outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times on Jan. 3.
US looking into restricting or banning drones made by 'foreign adversaries,' including China, Russia
The Bureau of Industry and Security said on Jan. 2 that the involvement of foreign adversaries in "supply chains, including acute threats from China and Russia – may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data."
Putin orders Russian government, top bank to cooperate with China on AI tech
Putin told the government and state-owned Sberbank to "ensure further cooperation with the People's Republic of China in technological research and development in the field of artificial intelligence."
China's Xi tells Putin two countries always move forward 'hand in hand'
Xi emphasized that China and Russia consistently advance together on a "path of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party," according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Ukraine’s exports grew 13% in 2024 amid stabilized port activity, Economy Ministry says
Preliminary data shows that Ukraine’s exports grew by more than 13% over the past year, primarily due to stabilizing the functioning of Ukrainian seaports, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Dec. 30.
New railway linking China to Central Asia countries, bypassing Russia, begins construction in Kyrgyzstan
The new route, part of China's economic expansion efforts, aims to expand Chinese commercial influence in Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Russian territory.
Zelensky urges China to help stop North Korean military aid to Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged China to use its influence over North Korea to prevent the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the frontline, during his evening address on Dec. 27.
China’s Xi Jinping to visit Russia next year, Kremlin’s Beijing ambassador says
Speaking to Russian media, Ambassador Igor Morgulov said plans for several bilateral events were being "drawn up" but that Xi’s trip was a priority.
Trump's China strategy hinges on crippling Russia’s economy
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is determined to confront China economically and strategically. This is a difficult problem, because so many goods purchased in the United States have supply chains with deep roots in the Chinese manufacturing base. If new U.S. tariffs cause the Chinese renminbi to depreciate, as
Deals over ideals — Anne Applebaum explains the playbook of autocracies in new book, and how to undermine them
Autocratic regimes like Russia are becoming increasingly bold in their efforts to undermine the principles and norms that came to define the democratic world order in the aftermath of World War II. A month after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even declared
EU imposes sanctions on Chinese companies, North Korean minister over Ukraine war
The EU imposed fully fledged sanctions on Dec. 16, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia's military for the war against Ukraine.
US weighs sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet, Chinese banks supporting war effort, Reuters says
Washington is considering more sanctions on "shadow fleet" tankers and has not ruled out targeting Chinese banks if they are found to be involved in Russia’s war effort, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters in an interview on Dec. 13.
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