At this year’s climate summit, the United States is out and Europe is struggling. But emerging countries are embracing renewable energy thanks to a glut of cheap equipment.
Two decades of sustained effort to build national self-reliance and minimize imports have antagonized trade partners but fortified what a senior adviser called Beijing’s “bulwark” against conflicts.
At an Asia-Pacific summit, the Chinese leader urged countries to “resist unilateral bullying,” an appeal that seemed at odds with his country’s recent actions.
A botched spying case prompted accusations that the British government was soft on China, highlighting tensions between economic and national security interests.
From Kuala Lumpur to Gyeongju, President Trump is casting himself as a deal-maker and peace negotiator, while a wary region looks for tariff relief and steadier ties.
In weaponizing its dominance over the crucial minerals, Beijing is using tactics that it once denounced, potentially alienating nations it wants to court.
In Washington, China hawks say its economy is too weak to withstand a tariff shock. In the city of Yiwu, factories are showing why, for now, that may be a miscalculation.
Xi Jinping’s need to project strength before a crucial meeting of Communist Party leaders may help explain why Beijing announced new rare earth controls.