China was peerless in confronting Donald Trump’s renewed trade war, but beneath such victories, he has plenty of worries at home, such as structural economic vulnerabilities.

China has ample reason to oppose the build-up of American military might in Caribbean Sea –and the recent US interceptions of tankers hauling Venezuelan oil.

The U.S. Trade Representative said tariffs on Chinese semiconductors, now at zero, are set to increase in June 2027.

From Trump’s stiff tariffs and China’s response to high-level trade talks, here’s a selection of SCMP stories covering the major milestones.

China and Russia slam Trump's Venezuela operations as Maduro faces mounting pressure from U.S. oil seizures and military strikes in Caribbean waters.

China will be entering the fifth year of a painful real estate crisis when the calendar flips to 2026. Over that period, falling home prices have sapped consumer spending, plunging property sales have pushed developers into bankruptcy and a dearth of demand for land has left many local governments struggling to stabilize their finances.

The United States can either accept China’s dominion or will have to deprive China of the thing it needs most to fuel its economy.

T HE BIG noise in 2025 has been President Donald Trump. Launching a barrage of executive orders, he directed his fire at target after target. With the aid of Elon Musk, he attempted to dismantle the federal bureaucracy. On “Liberation Day” he rewrote the rules of trade. Around the world he imposed peace and threatened war.

President Trump’s conflicting approach to China has led to Republican legislation to prevent the Trump administration from liberalizing regulations that limit China’s access to