Singapore non oil domestic exports plunge 20.7%, misses expectations by a huge margin
Singapore's non-oil domestic exports plunged 20.7% in March from a year ago, a sharp decline from the revised 0.2% fall in February.
Asian news from China
Countering China’s rare earth dominance and coercion
In December, the People’s Republic of China announced a retaliatory restriction of rare-earth element processing technology, a continuation of its strategy to monopolize the critical mineral market.
Three takeaways from China’s upbeat Q1 growth
China’s first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) surpassed market expectations, indicating a promising start to the year for the world’s second-largest economy.
Toward a China-checking Asian NATO
Last week’s US-Japan alliance bilateral summit between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio not only launched more than 70 deliverables that spanned the interagency, across the defense, across space, education, and technology, it also launched a new trilateral with the Philippines (at the summit level, at least), adding one more minilateral partnership to a lexicon that now includes AUKUS (Australia-UK-US), the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (US-Japan-Australia), the US-Japan-UK naval trilateral, and the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (“Quad”).
Solomon Islanders cast votes in an election that will shape relations with China
HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) — Voting began across the Solomon Islands on Wednesday in the South Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region.
Japan's exports grew for fourth straight month in March
TOKYO -- Japan's exports grew in value terms for the fourth consecutive month in March, official data showed Wednesday, with China-bound shipments increasing for the fourth straight month.
Sanctioned Chinese security camera maker Dahua divests from U.S.
HONG KONG -- Zhejiang Dahua Technology, a major Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer, has sold its fully owned subsidiary in the U.S., virtually divesting from the country after it was slapped with a series of sanctions over the years.