SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Chinese and US trade negotiators will bid to bring an end a year-long trade war that has seen both tariffs and insults flung between the world’s two largest economies when they meet for official talks in Shanghai Wednesday. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrived in China’s financial capital on Tuesday, and were believed to have joined Chinese officials for dinner and informal discussions. Washington and Beijing […]
Tag: trade
Asian markets tempered by US-China doubts
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets were tempered Thursday after two days of gains as doubts emerged over next week’s US-China trade meeting. Reports that Donald Trump’s Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will lead a delegation to China next week to resume trade talks buoyed markets on Wednesday. The meeting would be the first head-to-head since negotiations were cut short in May by Trump’s surprise decision to hit China with more tariffs for what he […]
Huawei unit cuts more than 600 jobs following US sanctions
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Chinese telecom giant Huawei said on Tuesday that more than 600 jobs would be lost at a US unit as a result of “curtailment of business operations” caused by Washington’s sanctions on the firm and 68 of its subsidiaries. The layoffs will come at the Chinese company’s US-based research and development arm, Futurewei Technologies, which is incorporated in Texas, an email statement from Huawei said. Futurewei employs more than 750 people, […]
Asian markets rise as earnings, trade hopes provide cheer
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets rose Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street with confidence given a boost by a positive earnings season and speculation top US and Chinese negotiators will hold face-to-face trade talks soon. A bipartisan agreement to raise the US debt ceiling to fund government for another two years — avoiding another painful shutdown — also provided some cheer. The gains across the board come a week before the Federal Reserve […]
Huawei planning major job cuts in US: WSJ
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, which is subject to US sanctions over concerns about its ties to the government in Beijing, is planning to make major job cuts at its US operations, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The layoffs are expected at Huawei’s US-based research and development arm, Futurewei Technologies, the paper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation. The unit currently employs 850 people at several labs in […]
US-China trade talks resume: US officials
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US officials held a phone call on Tuesday with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the ongoing trade conflict between the countries, US officials said. It was the first official contact since President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to resume talks just over a week ago. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer “spoke with Vice Premier Liu He and Minister Zhong Shan today to […]
Asian markets surge on Trump-Xi breakthrough, oil rallies
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets surged Monday after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to restart trade talks, reviving hopes of an end to their tariffs war, while oil prices also rallied on news that Saudi Arabia and Russia will extend their output caps. Trump’s historic visit to North Korea, where he met leader Kim Jong Un, soothed geopolitical concerns and added to the upbeat mood on trading floors. After a highly anticipated […]
Japan restricts some exports of chip, smartphone materials to South Korea
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan announced Monday it would tighten regulations on the export to South Korea of several chemicals used in chip and smartphone production amid a row with Seoul on wartime forced labour. The new rules, which take effect from July 4, come after South Korean courts ordered Japanese firms to compensate people forced into wartime labour, an issue Tokyo says was resolved when the countries resumed diplomatic relations decades ago. “The export […]
Trump hints at softer stance on China’s Huawei
OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that US companies could sell equipment to Chinese telecom giant Huawei, indicating a potentially softer position on a key sticking point in the US-China trade war. “US companies can sell their equipment to Huawei,” Trump told reporters in Osaka hours after sealing a tariff truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We’re talking about equipment where there’s no great national security problem with it.” […]
In Japan, Trump pushes allies on trade before meeting Putin
By JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press OSAKA, Japan (AP) — With an eye on the race back home to challenge him, President Donald Trump opened his most consequential trip of the year Friday by pushing allies on trade and defense spending at an international summit. Trump opened the G20 summit in Japan by meeting with the host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela […]
Asian markets rally as crucial Trump-Xi meeting approaches
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets rose Thursday as investors brushed off Donald Trump’s latest dig at China and threat to impose more tariffs on the country’s goods if crunch talks with Xi Jingping fail this weekend. Before setting off for the G20 summit in Japan the president said in an interview that he had a “Plan B” in case the face-to-face shows no progress, adding he would “take in billions and billions of […]
Southeast Asian leaders throw weight behind China-led trade pact
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI / Dene-Hern CHEN BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Bangkok on Saturday determined to drive forward the world’s largest commercial pact, with the trade war between the US and China clouding the outlook for their export-led economies. Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea and Myanmar’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims are expected to be tussled over by leaders on Sunday, the final day of the Association of Southeast Asian […]





