Author: News Desk

Vietnam Airlines is set to launch a new direct flight connecting Hanoi and Jakarta starting November 22, aiming to boost Vietnamese tourism through improved ASEAN integration. The Hanoi–Jakarta route was officially inaugurated at a ceremony in Jakarta on Tuesday, becoming the airline’s second direct route between Vietnam and Indonesia this year, following the launch of the Ho Chi Minh City–Denpasar route in June. The route, linking Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport with Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, marks a significant advancement in regional connectivity. It is expected to facilitate convenient travel for both Indonesian and Vietnamese passengers, enhancing Vietnam’s appeal as…

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and a delegation of U.S. cotton exporters held a meeting on Tuesday to enhance bilateral trade and promote greater use of U.S. cotton in Bangladesh’s garment industry. Bangladesh’s garment sector and the U.S. cotton exporters’ delegation have agreed to strengthen collaboration to take advantage of a new U.S. executive order that provides proportional tariff benefits for apparel manufactured from American raw materials. The meeting focused on leveraging the newly introduced U.S. tariff incentive to boost bilateral trade and significantly raise the use of American cotton in Bangladesh’s textile industry. According to the…

China launched a new initiative on Tuesday aimed at boosting domestic demand for imported goods as part of Beijing’s broader effort to transform the nation into a leading consumer-driven economy. Premier Li Qiang and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao revealed the launch of the ‘Big Market for All: Export to China’ campaign, under which Beijing will connect foreign manufacturers with Chinese buyers and host additional import expos. Wang described the move as an effort to ‘make China the best export destination for more countries.’ The initiative comes just days after China and the United States agreed to a temporary truce in…

German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has called for a complete ban on steel imports from Russia ahead of the upcoming ‘Steel Summit’ at the Chancellery. Klingbeil, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), contended that Russian-made raw steel slabs, later processed in the EU, continue to evade sanctions—a situation he described as hard to defend to Germany’s steel industry workers. “You cannot explain to any worker in our steel industry that Europe is still keeping the market open for Putin,” Klingbeil stated. Klingbeil emphasized the need to boost domestic production in Europe and prioritize climate-friendly, high-quality…

Chinese refiners are reducing their imports of Russian crude following expanded sanctions by the United States and its allies, which now target Russia’s major oil producers and associated trading firms, as reported by Bloomberg. According to traders, Chinese state-owned energy companies Sinopec and PetroChina have scrapped multiple shipments of Russian oil after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil last month. Smaller independent refiners, referred to as ‘teapots,’ are halting purchases due to concerns over potential sanctions, following the recent blacklisting of China’s Shandong Yulong Petrochemical by the UK and EU. The sanctions have dealt a significant blow to…

China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held talks with South Korea’s Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), both sides discussed ways to ensure stable industrial and supply chains to enhance regional and multilateral cooperation. At the meeting, Wang emphasized that China and South Korea share a close partnership as important neighboring countries. He expressed China’s readiness to collaborate with South Korea in advancing the key agreements and fostering progress in bilateral economic and trade ties. The Chinese commerce minister stated that both countries should enhance communication and…

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has authorized the extension of the rice import ban through the end of the year to help stabilize farm-gate prices for palay (rice), Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel declared on Sunday. “With the import ban having little impact on retail prices and supply of rice but a significant effect on the farm-gate price of palay, President Marcos deemed it necessary to extend the suspension for two more months,” Laurel stated. The Department of Agriculture (DA) will officially publish the Executive Order implementing the extension on Monday. President Marcos first halted the importation of regular and…

India and the United States signed a comprehensive new defense framework on Friday aimed at deepening their strategic partnership over the next decade. The development comes as both nations signal progress toward a potential trade deal to ease ongoing tariff disputes. The agreement was formalized on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Plus defense ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed the 10-year bilateral defense cooperation framework. The 2025 framework aims to advance the defense partnership by establishing ‘a unified vision and policy direction’ for collaboration across all areas, including…

China declared on Saturday that it would ease the chip export ban imposed after the Dutch authorities took control of Nexperia, a Chinese-owned semiconductor company headquartered in the Netherlands. In late September, the Netherlands invoked a Cold War-era law to assume control of Nexperia, citing ‘serious governance shortcomings and aiming to safeguard chip availability during emergencies. The move, which heightened concerns over potential chip shortages, targeted the Chinese-owned semiconductor firm whose parent company, Wingtech, is backed by the Chinese government. In retaliation, China prohibited the re-export of Nexperia chips to Europe and accused the United States of interfering in Dutch…

The European Commission declined to rule out initiating legal proceedings against the three countries that continue to impose unilateral import bans on Ukrainian goods. Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia are actively resisting attempts to renew trade relations as a revised EU agreement with Kyiv takes effect. The bans on Ukrainian grain and other agricultural goods violate EU single market regulations, which forbid individual member states from imposing trade restrictions. The defiance highlights the growing political tension in the EU’s trade relationship with Ukraine, as member states are effectively challenging Brussels to choose Kyiv over its own members. “We see no justification…