The Trump administration has shot itself in the foot by tightening the screws in the US-China tariff war: Beijing is turning its back on American liquefied natural gas (LNG) in response to Washington's third round of tariffs. The move is especially painful for the US, as it had projected to jump on the bandwagon of the booming Asian gas market. [...]

The months-long tit-for-tat between Beijing and Washington hasn’t yet shown any signs of stopping, but has, conversely, grown more intense in light of both trade issues with regard to tariffed imports, and an array of military-related moves, such as arms sales to Taiwan and China’s military deals with Russia. [...]

Trade relations between the two countries have gone into a downward spiral of quid pro quo, with Washington slapping Beijing with new tariffs on $200 billion of imported Chinese goods in late September, while China hit back with levies on $60 billion of US products. [...]

The White House has stepped up its showdown with China, casting it as the new top bogeyman, with Mike Pence declaring that the notorious Russian interference and meddling ‘pales’ in comparison to Beijing’s influence in US affairs. China is increasingly assuming the role of number one villain for the White House administration, ahead of the US midterm election and amid the spiraling trade war [...]

America’s second-largest oil client, China, has completely stopped buying crude from the United States as trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies continue to grow. While oil has not been included on the list of bilateral tariffs, Chinese refiners have been staying away from buying crude from the US. [...]

Recent provocations in the South China Sea follow rising tensions between the US and China, but with rivalry expanding into the economic and political spheres, it seems Beijing is now encroaching on Russia's top-villain status. [...]

The practice of using "unwritten" rules has been in existence for years in China, making the entry into the country's market more difficult for foreign firms. With the unfolding trade between Beijing and Washington these rules may be weaponized, warns a think tank. [...]

With the trade war between two world’s largest economies gaining momentum, there is a genuine risk that all Chinese goods imported by the US will be slammed with new tariffs, being a part of “administration-wide” broadside against China. [...]

China denied a request from the US Navy’s USS Wasp F-35 carrier to make a port call in Hong Kong amid trade tensions between the superpowers and Beijing’s recent decision to recall an admiral from participating in the International Seapower Symposium in Rhode Island. [...]

In a speech to the United Nations Security Council, President Trump blamed China for meddling in US elections. On Twitter, the #resistance is furious he didn’t name the old boogeyman: Russia. [...]

One of the world’s longest gas pipelines – the Power of Siberia – which is being created to deliver natural gas from Russia to China, is almost complete. The sides are now getting ready to ink a contract on another major pipeline. Agreement on the Power of Siberia 2 or the ‘Western Route’ for the supply of Russian gas from the Far East to China might be signed in the first half of 2019, [...]

China has canceled the visit of its Navy commander to the US, in response to the sanctions imposed by Washington against Beijing over its military cooperation with Russia, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said. On Thursday, the US State Department imposed sanctions against Beijing’s defense procurement agency, the Equipment Development Department (EED), for its “significant transaction [...]

China has hit back at US attempts to force it out of multiple billion-dollar arms deals with Russia, with a defense spokesperson stating that Washington has “no right to interfere” in the dealings of two sovereign states. Wu Qian’s comments come after the US State Department imposed sanctions on Thursday against Beijing’s defense procurement agency, the Equipment Development Department (EE [...]

Donald Trump has threatened to impose even more tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing dares to impose tit-for-tat measures in response to Washington’s latest package of levies targeting some $200 billion of Chinese exports. [...]

MOSCOW/KUNMING China National Gold will invest about $420 million in the development of the Klyuchevskoye gold deposit in Russia; another $65 million will be invested by India's SUN Gold, the annual production volume is expected at about 6.5 metric tons of gold per year, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry said. [...]

Beijing has threatened that Washington will face “consequences” if it doesn’t withdraw the recent batch of sanctions against China over military cooperation with Russia. China’s Foreign Ministry did not mince words, saying Washington should immediately correct its “mistakes” before it’s too late or face the consequences for the decision. [...]

Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma has said that his promise to Donald Trump to create one million jobs in the US is no longer valid and viable after Washington slapped Beijing with new round of tariffs on $200bn worth of goods. [...]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has authorized the addition of 33 Russian defense and intelligence officials and entities to the ever-growing US sanctions list and also targeted a Chinese military entity for buying Russian arms. [...]

In the first physical settlement of the Chinese yuan-denominated oil futures contract, five companies will deliver a total of 600,000 barrels of Middle Eastern crude grades to buyers of the September futures contract. [...]

The biggest holder of US Treasury bills, notes and bonds – China – has dropped $7.8 billion worth of US sovereign debt as a large-scale trade conflict, launched by Washington earlier this year, breaks new ground. The latest statistics released by the US Treasury Department showed that China’s share of US sovereign bonds hit a six month low of $1.171 trillion in July, from $1.178 trillion in [...]

What is the bigger story? The West Against the Rest or The West Against Itself? The Illiberal Quartet of Xi, Putin, Rouhani and Erdogan is in the line of fire of haughty homilies about Western “values.” Illiberalism is arrogantly and provocatively depicted in the West repeatedly as a Tartar Invasion 2.0. But closer to home Illiberalism is responsible for the social, civil war in the U.S. as Tr [...]

Plans for a nuclear war devised by the US Army in the 1960s considered decimating the Soviet Union and China by destroying their industrial potential and wiping out the bulk of their populations, newly declassified documents show. [...]