ASIANOMICS

🇨🇳🇦🇺China, Australia talk free trade, more dialogue as leaders meet in Beijing China and Australia will keep open dialogue and look for areas of cooperation despite strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Australia, which regards the United States as its major security ally, has pursued a China policy of "cooperate where we can, disagree where we must" under Albanese, mending ties that had been strained near to breaking point under a previous government. While Albanese repeatedly voiced his support for free trade and more dialogue with China, a day of senior meetings that also included Premier Li Qiang and business executives from both countries ended without any new major investment or trade deals. #China#Australia @asianomics

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia's Lavrov meets with China's President Xi Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the spokeswoman of the Russian foreign ministry said. Lavrov is visiting China for a foreign ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). "The two sides discussed a number of issues concerning bilateral political contacts ... including preparations for the Russian President's upcoming visit to the People's Republic of China," the Russian ministry said in a statement. #Russia#China @asianomics

🇨🇳🇦🇺 Australia and China call for more dialogue, cooperation at leaders' meeting China is ready to work with Australia to deepen bilateral ties, President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The meeting between the two leaders comes as China tries to capitalize on US President Donald Trump's sweeping trade tariffs by presenting itself as a stable and reliable partner. Chinese officials have expressed interest in expanding a decade-old free trade deal and cooperating in artificial intelligence. Australia valued its ties to China, its largest trading partner, and welcomed "progress on cooperation" under the free trade deal, Albanese said, adding that Australia's national interest would guide Canberra's approach to the relationship. #China#Australia @asianomics

🇹🇼🇵🇾🇺🇸 Taiwan president to visit Paraguay next month, paving way for possible US transits Paraguay is preparing to receive Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te next month, President Santiago Pena said on Monday, meaning Lai will also most likely make sensitive transit stops in the United States bound to infuriate Beijing. Paraguay is one of only 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and the only one in South America. Visits by Taiwanese presidents to Central and South America always involve what are officially only stopovers in the United States given the distance from Taiwan, but are often the most important parts of the trip given Washington is the island's top international backer and arms supplier. #Taiwan#Paraguay#USA @asianomics

🇷🇺🇨🇳 China-Russia ties are more mature and stable than any major relationship: Wang The relationship between Beijing and Moscow shows great stability, maturity and strategic values, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Beijing. Emphasizing the depth and uniqueness of their bilateral ties, Wang also said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s coming visit to China would be among top priorities between Beijing and Moscow in the coming months. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said in an interview in Moscow last month that Putin would spend four days in China from August 31 to September 3, when he would join the SCO summit and hold major bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. #Russia#China @asianomics

🇲🇾🇺🇸Malaysia lashes out at ‘Zionist’ US envoy pick Nick Adams The Trump administration’s selection of Nick Adams, a self-styled “Alpha Male” author and social media provocateur, as the next US ambassador to Malaysia has triggered outrage in the Muslim-majority nation, with critics questioning the motives behind the decision. Washington announced on Thursday that Adams, who has a history of inflammatory remarks, had been selected for the diplomatic post. The decision has prompted alarm among diplomats and Southeast Asian observers, many of whom see President Donald Trump’s choice as prioritizing political loyalty over diplomatic expertise. Adams has regularly courted controversy with his misogynistic remarks, Islamophobic tirades – such as the claim that Trump’s opponents sought to “teach Islam in schools” – and vocal support of Israel. Members of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition have decried Adams’s appointment as an “insult” to the Muslim-majority country, especially its decades of support for Palestinian rights. #Malaysia#USA @asianomics

🇺🇸🇯🇵Trump indicates Japan "very rapidly" softening stance in tariff talks US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed Japan and other major trading partners are changing their approach to tariff negotiations "very, very rapidly," indicating he believes there may soon be progress toward agreements. He also restated his accusation that Japan has been reluctant to import American cars and agricultural products. "The European Union is talking to us. They want to open up their country. I would say Japan (is), to a much lesser extent, in terms of opening up their country," Trump told reporters upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews on the outskirts of Washington. #USA#Japan @asianomics

🇪🇺🇮🇩 EU, Indonesia strike political agreement to advance free trade deal A political agreement was reached to advance the EU-Indonesia free trade deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. The trade deal, dubbed CEPA for Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, will create more opportunities in key industries such as agriculture and the automotive sector, von der Leyen added. "We consider Europe to be very important to us. That's why we would like to see more European presence and more European participation in our economy," Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said. "I think that in this era of instability or confusion, we are setting a right example." #EU#Indonesia @asianomics

🇨🇳🇺🇸China's exports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms China's exports regained some momentum in June while imports rebounded, as firms rushed out shipments to capitalize on a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington ahead of a looming August deadline. Businesses on both sides of the Pacific are waiting to see whether the world's two largest economies can agree on a more durable deal or if global supply chains will again be upended by the reimposition of duties exceeding 100%. Trade ties appeared to stabilize in June after US and Chinese negotiators agreed to revive a fragile truce reached during talks in Geneva in May. The agreement had been strained before the talks by a series of export controls that disrupted global supply chains for key industries. #China#USA @asianomics

🇨🇳🇮🇳China, India should continue practical cooperation China and India should steadily advance practical cooperation, China's Vice President Han Zheng told India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday. During the meeting in Beijing, Han said both countries should also respect each other's concerns, and promote stable development of bilateral ties. The continued normalization of India-China relations can produce mutually beneficial outcomes, S. Jaishankar said. #China#India @asianomics

🇦🇺🇺🇸🇹🇼 Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, minister says Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan. Australia prioritizes its sovereignty and "we don't discuss hypotheticals", Conroy said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance but by the government of the day," he said. #Australia#USA#Taiwan @asianomics

🇺🇸🇯🇵Rubio says no 'drama or division' in US relations with Japan US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday played down concerns about relations with key US ally Japan, saying there is no "drama or division," despite the Japanese prime minister speaking of the need for Tokyo to wean itself off U.S. dependence. In remarks to reporters, Rubio also disputed reports of US pressure on Japan to significantly increase its defense spending, saying that while Washington was "encouraging" Tokyo to invest in certain capabilities, this did not amount to a "demand." Japanese media reported last month that the Trump administration was demanding that Japan and other Asian allies boost defense spending to 5% of GDP in line with demands on NATO members. #USA#Japan @asianomics