Will Trump's tariff war spark big-bang reforms in India?

India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis. Now, with US President Donald Trump's tit-for-tat tariff wars and the global trade upheaval that has followed, many believe that India finds itself at another crossroad.

Could this be a major opportunity for the world's fifth largest economy to shed its protectionism and further open up its economy? Will India seize the moment, just as it did more than three decades ago, or will it retreat further?

Trump has repeatedly branded India a "tariff king" and a "big abuser" of trade ties. The problem is that India's trade-weighted import duties - the average duty rate per imported product - are among the highest in the world. The US average tariff is 2.2%, China's is 3% and Japan's is 1.7%. India's stands at a whopping 12%, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

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Why is China spending billions to get people to open their wallets?

The Chinese government has promised new child care subsidies, increased wages and better paid leave to revive a slowing economy. That is on top of a $41bn discount programme for all sorts of things, from dishwashers and home decor to electric vehicles and smartwatches.mBeijing is going on a spending spree that will encourage Chinese people to crack open their wallets.

Simply put, they are not spending enough.

Monday brought some positive news. Official data said retail sales grew 4% in the first two months of 2025, a positive sign for consumption data. But, with a few exceptions like Shanghai aside, new and existing home prices continued to decline compared to last year. While the US and other major powers have struggled with post-Covid inflation, China is experiencing the opposite: deflation - when the rate of inflation falls below zero, meaning that prices decrease. In China, prices fell for 18 months in a row in the past two years.

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China’s Shadow Fleet: The Global Crisis Of Illegal Fishing From Argentina To India – Analysis

China’s distant-water fishing fleet—numbering at least 2,500 vessels—harvests roughly four million tons of fish annually. Yet, their reach and methods have provoked widespread condemnation for violating international maritime norms, devastating fish populations, and triggering human rights abuses.

In the Indian Ocean, the scale of these offences is starkly visible. A 2024 report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) detailed 86 separate cases linking Chinese vessels to IUU fishing and severe human rights abuses. Almost half of China’s authorized tuna longliners in the Southwest Indian Ocean region are involved in such violations. These vessels target economically valuable species like tuna and sharks, devastating local fisheries and threatening biodiversity.

Evidence suggests that these operations are not merely commercial but strategic. The Chinese government heavily subsidises its fleet, providing funding for fuel, equipment, and even vessel construction—covering up to half the total cost.

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‘Made in Russia’ goods are the new craze in China

The shopfronts are decked out in white, blue and red, with Chinese and Russian flags hanging side by side from the ceiling. Waist-high Russian dolls greet customers at the entrance. Inside, shelves are stocked with an array of Russian goods – from chocolates and cookies to honey and vodka. In China, pop-up stores specializing in Russian-made products have become an increasingly common sight. Their proliferation has left some residents puzzled, with many on Chinese social media questioning why these stores seem to have sprung up overnight.

Thousands of such stores have opened across the country in recent years, tapping into the Chinese public’s affinity for Russia and deepening trade ties between Beijing and Moscow since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

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China executed four Canadians for drug crimes, says Ottawa

Four Canadians were executed in China on drug-related charges earlier this year, Canadian authorities have confirmed. All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada's foreign minister Mélanie Joly said. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to "stop making irresponsible remarks", as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain. China's foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted "in accordance with the law", while the embassy said there was "solid and sufficient" evidence for their crimes.

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Will Trump's tariff war spark big-bang reforms in India?

India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis. Now, with US President Donald Trump's tit-for-tat tariff wars and the global trade upheaval that has followed, many believe that India finds itself at another crossroad.

Could this be a major opportunity for the world's fifth largest economy to shed its protectionism and further open up its economy? Will India seize the moment, just as it did more than three decades ago, or will it retreat further?

Trump has repeatedly branded India a "tariff king" and a "big abuser" of trade ties. The problem is that India's trade-weighted import duties - the average duty rate per imported product - are among the highest in the world. The US average tariff is 2.2%, China's is 3% and Japan's is 1.7%. India's stands at a whopping 12%, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

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"Midtens rike - En vandring i Kinas historie" er i salg - revidert og utvidet, og i ny drakt

For 16 år siden utga jeg boken "Midtens rike  - En vandring i Kinas historie" (Cappelen Damm, 2009). Senere er den trykket og utgitt i flere runder, og den også oversatt til fremmede språk. Nå foreligger en ny og revidert utgave - i ny drakt. Bokens forside viser en av Kinas store keisere, Qianlong, til hest. Qianlong styrte landet i en lang periode på 1700-tallet. Bildet er malt av den italienske jesuitten Giuseppe Castiglione, som bodde i Beijing og som fikk i oppdrag å male keiseren. Forsiden er designet av Stian Hole.

ANALYSING CHINA’S 2025 GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT: Promises, Pressures, and People

China’s 2025 Government Work Report signals a year of both economic management and long-term strategic groundwork. As the country enters the final stretch of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), Beijing is framing 2025 not just as a moment for policy execution but as a critical bridge to the next planning cycle. Premier Li Qiang’s delivery of the report at the opening of the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress highlights a focus on socio-economic stability, social security, and infrastructure development amid growing domestic and global uncertainties.

Alongside economic priorities, the report highlights social policies aimed at improving healthcare, education, and welfare systems to address demographic shifts and public well-being. While short-term economic management remains a priority, Beijing is also laying the foundation for structural adjustments that will shape China’s future trajectory.

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From Prints to Panels: How traditional Japanese art influenced contemporary manga and anime

On a typical Sunday afternoon, the bustling main street of Akihabara, Tokyo’s anime capital, pulses with activity. Colorful billboards showcasing iconic anime and manga characters loom large over the lively pedestrian zone, flanked by shops offering an exhaustive collection of merchandise and memorabilia, and themed cafes that invite fans to step into the worlds of their favorite narratives.

Japanese manga and anime have captivated global audiences with their richly developed characters, unique storytelling, and diverse genres, establishing a significant cultural footprint well beyond Japan. Highlighting the enduring appeal and influence of Japanese animation, Spirited Away won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003, and nearly two decades later, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train set a new record for the highest-grossing opening weekend of any foreign language film in the United States.

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China conducts air and sea drills near Taiwan in response to US and Taiwanese statements

An unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan between Sunday and Monday, the self-governing island’s Defense Ministry said. China said the drills were a response to recent statements and actions by the United States and Taiwan. Beijing launches such missions on a daily basis, seeking to wear down Taiwanese defenses and morale, although the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people reject its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo told legislators the drills were further evidence China was a “troublemaker” endangering peace in the region.

The ministry on Tuesday published on social media images of Chinese drones and ships. It said 43 out of 59 entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone but that no confrontations were reported. Taiwan monitored the situation and deployed aircraft, navy ships and coastal anti-ship missile defenses in response, the ministry said.

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The South China Sea: Making the Philippines-US Alliance Work Under Trump 2.0

The Trump administration’s decision to freeze foreign aid fostered doubts about U.S. commitment to its Philippine ally, but Washington decided to allow more than $300 million in foreign military financing to Manila to move forward. Other positive developments in alliance management – especially early high-level engagements — should help maintain momentum.

The Philippines-U.S. alliance has a new opportunity to be strengthened and the focus this time should be contributing to regional strategic stability, which starts by deterring China in the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and nearby flashpoints.

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China Watches, Taiwan Learns: Ukraine’s War and the Indo-Pacific

China’s coercive campaign against Taiwan has escalated in recent years. Beijing’s approach has evolved from putting political and economic pressure on the island’s leadership and now includes expansive military exercises considered by many to be rehearsals for forced unification. It has sparked debate amongst political and military experts about what form such forced unification could take: Will the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) services seek to strangle the island’s economy through a semi-permanent blockade? Will they boil the frog over time through an on-and-off blockade? Or will they land a knock-out punch in a Sea Land Invasion?

If one thing is certain, it’s this: Beijing’s calculation will be shaped by whether Taiwan is ready to defend itself. For Taiwan to do so successfully, it will have to learn lessons from the war against Ukraine, a country that failed to deter an attack from a much more powerful neighbor, yet has been able to successfully defend itself since.

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Taiwan’s KMT is closer than ever to its old nemesis, the Chinese Communist Party

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to have achieved a high degree of sway over its old nemesis, the Chinese Nationalist Party, better known as the Kuomintang, or KMT. The two parties’ talking points and agenda are highly aligned today, but this is a new development: they used to be enemies. The KMT seized control of Taiwan (with American help) following Japan’s surrender in 1945—Taiwan, also known as Formosa, had been a Japanese colony between 1895 and 1945. 

And then, four years later in 1949, KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek relocated the Kuomintang party-state, the Republic of China (ROC), to Taiwan, escaping annihilation in China at the hands of the Communists. For most of the 20th century, the KMT and the CCP were implacable foes, but the return of Taiwanese identity following 38 years of Chinese martial law has helped the two parties find common ground.

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China outlines plans to boost consumer spending as Trump’s tariff war threatens exports

Chinese government officials on Monday outlined steps they are taking to try to boost domestic demand by getting consumers to spend more as a tariff war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to curb the country’s exports. The central bank will study creating new tools to increase low-cost funding for important consumption areas, said Che Shiyi from the People’s Bank of China, the central bank.

On the spending side, the government has already provided a first tranche of 81 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) to local governments in January for a rebate program to boost auto and appliance sales, announced Li Chunlin, the vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The officials spoke at a news conference one day after the government, together with the ruling Communist Party, released a multi-faceted plan to try to boost consumer spending. The moves seemed designed to demonstrate that the government is committed to reviving a sluggish economy.

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Torbjørn Færøvik: Noen eksepsjonelt dype tanker fra Hans Eksellense Donald J. Trump, President i Amerikas Forente Stater

Siden vi lever i en farlig verden, trenger vi en sterk leder som kan tenke for oss. En visjonær allviter som kan lede oss inn i en ny og gyllen tidsalder. Derfor hilser vi den eksepsjonelt geniale og grandiose Donald J. Trump varmt velkommen til Det hvite hus i Washington D.C., den skjønne hovedstaden i verdens mektigste land. Med sin nye president vil ikke bare USA, men hele menneskeheten oppleve en mirakuløs fornyelse og fremgang. I dag, idet våren bryter frem og fuglene kvitrer, viderebringer vi noen velvalgte sitater fra vår nye verdenskonge.

Chinese media, Hun Sen celebrate White House order to close US-funded news outlets

Representatives of closed Asian societies without free press on Monday welcomed the U.S. administration’s decision to halt broadcasts by Voice of America and freeze funding to Radio Free Asia, while democracy activists and dissidents expressed disbelief and dismay. China’s state-backed Global Times published an editorial focusing on VOA which it called “a lie factory” and “a thoroughly biased propaganda poison.”

“The so-called beacon of freedom, VOA, has now been discarded by its own government like a dirty rag,” it said.

In a Facebook post, former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is Senate president and the father of the current premier, called the closure of U.S.-funded “propaganda” outlets “a major contribution to eliminating fake news, disinformation, lies, distortions, incitement, and chaos around the world.”

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A five-minute charge to go 250 miles? This Chinese EV giant claims it can offer just that

Electric vehicle giant BYD unveiled a new charging system in China on Monday, intensifying already fierce competition in the world’s largest auto market and propelling it further ahead of rivals such as Tesla. The Shenzhen-based automaker touted its system, dubbed “Super E-Platform,” as being able to charge its latest models in just five minutes, allowing them to go 250 miles. To support the new technology, BYD plans to build 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations across China.

By comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers take 15 minutes to charge and provide a range of 200 miles.

“Our goal is to make EV charging as fast as refueling a gasoline car,” BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said at the launch event. Pre-orders for BYD’s new models equipped with the latest charging technology began on Monday, with deliveries set to start next month.

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‘How gratifying’: Cheers in China as Trump dismantles Voice of America

One nationalist influencer called it “truly gratifying.” Another said he was laughing his head off. And a state-media editorial hailed the demise of what it called the “lie factory.” Chinese nationalists and state media could hardly contain their schadenfreude after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and other US government-funded media organizations that broadcast to authoritarian regimes.

For years, the Chinese government and its propaganda apparatus have relentlessly attacked VOA and RFA for their critical coverage of China, particularly on human rights and religious freedom.

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