South China Morning Post - Global Economy

China has offered to assist Indonesia in improving its manufacturing sector and increasing the added value of its commodities, likely in a move to position Chinese companies for unique access to Indonesia’s unprocessed minerals, which Jakarta bans from export. Beijing’s ambassador to Jakarta, Wang Lutong, said “supply chain and industrial integration”, among other closer economi...

As hopes fade for lower interest rates in the United States, 30-year Treasury yields have remained above 5 per cent for one of their longest stretches in nearly two decades, fuelling debate over whether elevated borrowing costs are here to stay or may be approaching a ceiling. The long bond’s yield traded above 5 per cent for a 13th consecutive trading day on Thursday – the long...

Chinese companies are deepening their participation in South Korea’s energy sector as state-owned nuclear giant CGN Energy International begins operations at a self-developed power project, helping supply China’s power-hungry neighbour amid a surge in electricity demand driven by an artificial intelligence boom. The gas-fired facility, located in Seosan, northwestern South Korea...

Beijing has pledged to upgrade the China-Europe Railway Express and stepped up development of a southern rail route that bypasses Russia, as the railway network struggles to keep pace with surging demand for Chinese exports such as electric vehicles and air conditioners. The General Administration of Customs would support the construction of assembly centres and hub cities for t...

After devoting the first half of 2026 to an ineffectual, expensive and inconclusive military adventure in Iran, it seems US President Donald Trump is about to turn afresh to the wars he loves best – the tariff wars he still believes can make America great again. He can’t quite walk away from the war in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s refusal to capitulate has left Trump with an awkward...