News that caught our eye / The week ending March 14, 2025
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NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
Curated by James Getka.
China ends its annual Congress with questions about how to revive its slowing economy / March 11, 2025
“How much will the Chinese government do to revive its economy?” is the unanswered question at the end of the annual National People’s Congress last week. There appears to be some help for privately owned businesses to get loans and perhaps an easing of regulatory crackdowns. But President Trump’s tariff war and the threat of a potential recession in the US could prolong any recovery (AP News).
‘Race against time’ sees Premier Li put all Chinese officials on notice amid uncertainties / March 13, 2025
As the National People’s Congress drew to a close, Chinese Premier Li Qiang urged all government officials to carry out their assigned duties in haste so that the economy may reach its economic growth rate of nearly 5%. China’s economic plan for 2025 includes a focus on various hi-tech development and loans for privately held businesses (SCMP).
China’s Inflation Declines Below Zero for First Time in Year / March 9, 2025
China’s consumer price index fell 0.7% from a year earlier in February, demonstrating that China’s economy is still under strong deflationary pressure. Other figures also suggested a sluggish consumer demand still persists (Yahoo Finance).
China Sees Red as Trade War Escalates / March 11, 2025
In his memoir, George W. Bush revealed a question he asks foreign leaders, “What keeps you up at night?” How President Xi might answer that question would be fascinating to know. A defiantly sluggish economy, a restless citizenry, and the trade war with the US would probably make the top three candidates (US News).
China learned from Trump's first trade war and changed its tactics for round two / March 9, 2025
China was caught off-guard when President Trump placed tariffs on China during his first term, so now that President Trump has entered office again, and played a tariff card again, China was prepared to retaliate in kind and has a toolbox of measures to employ. China is ready to talk, but it won’t beg for mercy (CTV News).
China says it’s willing to cooperate with the U.S. on fentanyl / March 12, 2025
China’s government stated that it has done a great deal to mitigate the fentanyl drug crisis and that the US should be saying “thank you” instead of hitting China with more tariffs. But the country says it is also willing to work with the US as long as the diplomacy doesn’t end up creating more tariffs (CNBC).
Next Canadian leader will feel US wrath if he gets too close to China / March 12, 2025
Canada finds itself in the middle of a trade and tariff war, caught between the world’s two largest economies: the US and China. Canada’s next Prime Minister, Mark Carney, will have to navigate the tumultuous waters between the two countries as both wage their own tariff wars with each other, putting Canada in the middle (SCMP).
As Trump shakes the international order, China casts itself as a model of stability / March 9, 2025
“Stability” was the name of the game in Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi’s annual news conference on Friday, as if to assure the world that China is a safe political and economic alternative to President Trump’s current shuffling of the long-standing economic arrangement with its allies and enemies. After Wang’s charged retort to Trump’s tariff war earlier in the week, China seems to be maintaining its diplomatic composure to lure more countries to itself (NBC News).
Tariffs could deal a blow to Chinatowns / March 9, 2025
Chinese enterprises in Chinatowns across the US may be particularly hit hard by the tariff war between the US and China as most of the goods they sell are imported from China. Prices may rise by 8%. With more than a quarter of Chinatown’s resident in New York City living under the poverty line, it will be more difficult to procure their traditional and customary products (NBC News).
Iran’s nuclear program in focus in China, Russia and US / March 12, 2025
As President Trump has issued a new call for Iran to scuttle its nuclear program, Iran’s allies, Russia and China, are scheduled to meet in Beijing on March 14th to discuss the matter. Trump has been heavy fisted toward Iran, but Iran’s President has been equally defiant (Al Jazeera).
China's Plan to Tackle Birth Rate Crisis / March 9, 2025
China’s “births per woman” count has been declining from a high of twelve million in 1970 to two million in 2020. China’s elderly population is also growing rapidly. That puts China in what the UN calls a “super-aged society.” Attempts to encourage young adults to marry and bear children have not been very successful as changing cultural perspectives about parenting and the economic burden of raising a family work against the concept of having children (Newsweek).
China far outpacing US in military, commercial ship numbers / March 9, 2025
Last week President Trump announced plans to “resurrect” the country’s shipbuilding industry as China is far outpacing both in the construction of military ships and commercial ships. The US industry has been plagued with irregular funding from the government that has put suppliers out of business and estranged skilled workers due to lack of job security (VOA).
Facebook was 'hand in glove' with China, BBC told / March 10, 2025
Facebook’s former global public policy director, Sarah Wynn-Williams, has written a book revealing some of the company’s negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party as Mark Zuckerberg sought to get Facebook into the highly censored country. The process allowed Chinese technologists to see the inner workings of the social media platform (BBC).
Taiwan says tougher measures needed to counter Chinese infiltration / March 13, 2025
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te warned that China has increased its infiltration and espionage campaign on the island, stating that 64 Chinese operatives had been arrested in 2024, three times as many as in 2021. Lai also said he has more than a dozen countermeasures to thwart China’s soft-war campaign (Al Jazeera).