Welcome to the 249th edition of Trade War.
Is Trump and Vance’s Oval Office trashing of Zelensky and Ukraine a warning sign for Taiwan? What many are calling a “reverse Kissinger” looks unlikely as Xi and Putin tout their two countries’ closeness. And with Moscow’s economic dependence on Beijing growing ever larger, Russia becomes akin to “China’s vassal.”
The Trump administration is pushing Mexico and Canada to match its tariffs on China, a possible route to avoiding punitive levies. And Washington aims to tighten China semiconductor curbs, building on Biden administration efforts.
Xi tells top officials to “calmly respond to challenges,” both domestic and international. Smart phone maker turned EV sensation Xiaomi is new star of China’s electric vehicle industry. And China’s minister in charge of technology is the latest victim in a string of top officials purged by Beijing.
Notable/In depth
“A broad peacetime decoupling [from China] might fail” as US allies stand on the sidelines, argue experts in Foreign Affairs
In a startling turnaround, US becomes a net food importer
Cutting overcapacity in China to be “a painful process,” says former longtime Beijing-based businessman Joerg Wuttke
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