https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/traders-rebrand-venezuelan-oil-china-brazilian-sources-tanker-trackers-say-2025-05-12 Oil traders have rebranded 1 billion dollars worth of Venezuelan crude oil as Brazilian to sell it to Chinese oil refineries in the past year. Chinese refineries are the top buyers of oil from countries with U.S sanctions, but in order to do this in the past shipments had to go through Malaysia to be transferred to secondary ships…. Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/japan-trade-tariffs-trump-d23573689292edd7b3cea7496438a4a0 Japan has reported a 63 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S, meaning its exports to the U.S exceed its imports from the U.S by 63 billion dollars. This surplus shows how much the tariff policy Trump is putting in place will impact the Japanese economy. Trump stated that he plans to put a 24% tariff on Japanese goods,… Read more »
https://www.reuters.com/world/former-taiwan-president-tsai-make-sensitive-visit-britain-this-week-2025-05-12 The former president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, was invited by British lawmakers to visit London this week. While Britain has no formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan due to its disputed status as an independent state, Britain has been strengthening its economic and political relations with Taiwan, including an official trade partnership made between the two states in 2023. The… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/usa-philippines-military-drills-china-antiship-missiles-faae979065546230ba9b9b12b95c790b The U.S has deployed an anti-ship missile launcher in the Philippines, in close proximity to China’s coast and the island of Taiwan. U.S and Philippine forces also performed live fire drills, shooting down drones that represented hostile aircraft. 9,000 U.S troops and 5,000 Philippine troops took part in the drills, which U.S officials have stated are not targeted attack… Read more »
https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3309125/china-urges-japan-south-korea-and-asean-deepen-cooperation-amid-trade-war-turbulence China is encouraging Japan, South Korea, and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase economic collaboration in order to combat the tariffs that the U.S has put in place. China’s Finance Minister Lan Foan has stated that the Chinese department of finance is open to cooperation with other countries in the region, emphasizing the need… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-russia-bridge-troops-ukraine-3358c993c68da2dd4ab287c3fd98adba North Korea and Russia have begun the construction of the first road bridge to connect the two countries over their shared river border. This is a huge advancement for North Korea as it gives them an easier route to trade with Russia. In 2023, 97% of North Korea’s trade was with China. This is risky for North Korea because… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-philippines-ade74c654157c6f1cbac2c0e7247b6f0 U.S Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is meeting with officials in Japan and the Philippines to discuss defense cooperation to deter China’s aggressions in the South China Sea. He plans to offer more significant defense support to the Philippines, reaffirming promises the U.S made to the Philippines in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. In recent years, confrontations between China and… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/japan-china-south-korea-foreign-ministers-313665d1a611abeb42180245d7e167f1 Despite tensions, foreign ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea have recently met to cooperate on addressing shared issues such as aging populations, natural disasters, and North Korea’s military development. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya expressed concerns over North Korea’s support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the potential military developments the country could receive in return. He commented… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/thailand-uyghur-deportation-china-xinjiang-162435b1c864e905313455a97ed77f1f Months ago, China sent Thailand a formal request that 40 Uyghur men—whom China claimed were terrorists, despite proof of their innocence—be sent back to China, where they may face severe mistreatment. Thai Muslim officials reassured the men that they would not be deported—only days before the Thai government forced them to return to China. Thai Muslim leaders and citizens… Read more »
