Japan says tariffs imposed on autos, steel and aluminium cannot be excluded from trade talks, because the auto sector is a core national industry

Trump announces a 3-month pause on tariffs he imposed on dozens of countries last week. All now face a 10% base tariff, bar China, where exporters face a 125% tariff

The yuan sank to its weakest level in more than 17 years on Wednesday with US-China trade tipped to be halved by new US tariffs, while US Treasuries were also subject to intense selling

China retaliated on Wednesday after the Trump Administration imposed a 104% tariff on Chinese goods – by hiking their levy on US exports to 84%.

Beijing will use its biggest outlay of debt in three decades to try to bolster domestic consumption - and ward off the impacts of a burgeoning trade war with the US this year

China's central bank has ramped up consolidation of small banks because of their weaker funding status and higher exposure to risk, in a bid to stabilize the financial system

The group may face a "make or break" moment, analysts said, depending on whether the government decides to bail it out or let it default on debt.

The restructure would give creditors many options such as converting debt into cash and extending maturity. It comes ahead of a liquidation hearing on January 20.

Trump's tariff threats have rattled the yuan, driven mainland bond yields down and got stocks off to a bad start to 2025

The two new initiatives unveiled on Friday are subsidy programmes for consumers, and a subsidy for large-scale equipment upgrades for businesses.

Beijing plans to issue a record amount of debt in a bid to maintain economic growth while trade with the US faces the threat of higher tariffs

The national government has approved a 1,500km rail link from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, which is tipped to start in 2027 and be completed by 2035