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TOPIC

Commodities

Commodities
Commodity market action from around the world with a focus on the commodities that matter most to investors in Hong Kong and China.
Vegetable seedlings are examined at a greenhouse in China’s Shandong province. Chinese authorities say considerable advances have been made in the domestic seed industry over the last few years. Photo: Getty Images
China food security

Rooted in resilience: how China’s seed push has planted agricultural ‘chips’

Domestic varieties claiming bigger market shares for key crops and livestock, curbing reliance on foreign sources for vital food production.

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United States

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

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The Philippines

Philippines’ new gas find fuels energy diversification hopes

China economy

China unveils 18-point plan to boost global non-ferrous metals pricing power

The move is aimed at strengthening the links between the futures, spot and derivatives markets for non-ferrous metals and Shanghai’s role.

Currently, 11 non-ferrous metals futures contracts and 10 options, including copper, are listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Photo: Reuters
China-Africa relations

China widens trade gap with Africa to record US$102 billion amid US pressure

Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.

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China trade

China’s zero-tariff gambit: why Beijing is slashing duties as Trump raises them

China’s average effective tariff rate estimated to be as low as 1.3 per cent in 2025, helping it secure raw materials and build soft power.

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Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2024. Photo: AFP
Trade

Silver steps out of gold’s shadow as Southeast Asian investors rush in

Soaring prices, tight supply and geopolitical uncertainty are driving a regional rush into the once-overlooked precious metal.

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Greenland

Opinion | Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond the Arctic

Greenland is a test case for how alliances handle sovereignty and trust amid great power rivalry, with important consequences for Asia.

US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

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An activist, wearing a cutout mask depicting US President Donald Trump and tied with a rope, kneels next to a container with the words, “My Oil”, in an rally to condemn the US military action in Venezuela, in Seoul, South Korea, on January 5. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Can US-led bloc ease China’s ‘vice-like grip’ on rare earths?

Washington is working with its allies to accelerate projects in rare earths and diversify their supply in response to China’s export curbs.

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A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: AP
Banking & finance

Chinese banks lure investors with gold-linked deposits amid soaring prices

Such products may offer better returns than fixed deposits, but these investments are not without risks, analyst says.

US-China relations

China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

Beijing’s Treasury holdings hit a September 2008 low, and analysts point to fears over Fed independence and debt sustainability, while gold’s appeal rises.

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Rare earths

US lawmakers propose US$2.5 billion agency to boost production of rare earths

The US is moving to reduce reliance on China after Beijing used its dominance in critical minerals to gain leverage in the trade war.

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Workers use machinery to dig at a rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: Chinatopix via AP
US-China trade war

Trump sets 180-day deadline to counter China’s control of critical minerals

US government warns global suppliers to negotiate agreements to secure reliable, diversified supplies for the US or face new trade hurdles.

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In a proclamation signed on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that the US’ reliance on foreign-processed critical minerals poses a national security threat. Photo: Reuters
Venezuela

Supertankers sailing to pick up Venezuelan oil for China make U-turn: ship data

The Xingye and Thousand Sunny, which have not been the subject of sanctions, head back to Asia after weeks of idling in the Atlantic.

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United States

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

If the US can take over the running of a country in this way, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

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United States

China and US coexistence in Venezuela possible, US energy chief says

Chris Wright sees a constructive role for Beijing but insists Washington must remain the dominant force controlling Venezuela’s oil flows.

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US Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright attends an event in New York City in September 2025. Photo: Reuters
Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s Sinopec, CNAF to undergo consolidation, creating energy powerhouse

State Council approves reorganisation between Sinopec and China National Aviation Fuel Group, state asset regulator says.

China-EU relations

Explainer | Trump says Greenland is ‘surrounded’ by Chinese ships. What’s the real story?

China has engaged with Greenland in areas ranging from oil and minerals to tourism. But its footprint is far smaller than Trump claims.

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United States

Opinion | Why Asia should be concerned about the US attack on Venezuela

Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China competition.

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A man walks past a sculpture outside a building of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 17, 2019. Photo: Reuters
United States

Opinion | The US now owns more than just Venezuela’s oil

A hard lesson in foreign policy comes to mind: if you break it, you own it. America is now responsible for Venezuela’s failures, factions and future grievances.

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A woman reacts as government supporters gather, after US President Donald Trump said the US had struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3. Photo: Reuters
US-Venezuela conflict

Not just oil: is Trump’s Venezuela takeover also about critical minerals?

Venezuela, Greenland and Colombia all have large deposits of rare earths and other minerals needed by US technology and defence companies.

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US-Venezuela conflict

What assets does China have in Venezuela, and what may happen with Maduro gone?

US move calls into question China’s future financial commitments in Latin American country, potentially hurting Beijing’s regional strategy.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Gold, oil jolted by US assault on Venezuela as investors recalibrate

Gold and oil move in opposite directions as attack underscores gold’s haven value, fails to alter oil market’s supply glut.

Gold could touch US$5,000 an ounce this year, according to JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

US dollar, gold rise after Maduro abduction as investors seek safe havens

Yuan also remains relatively resilient as analysts predict the Chinese currency could strengthen to as high as 6.8 against the US dollar in 2026.

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Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is escorted from a US federal aircraft in New York on January 3, after being captured during a US military operation. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Gold rush: Malaysia’s Kelantan to let poor residents dig for precious metal

The move comes as gold prices soared and videos of local Kelantanese panning for the metal were shared online.

Indonesia

New ‘command economy’? Indonesia seizes land the size of Switzerland

Prabowo Subianto’s government has taken over 4 million hectares of plantations and mines since last January.

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