President Donald Trump is betting Beijing will blink first in the showdown over tariffs. Such an outcome is far from assured - and it could also take a while.Trump said Friday the United States (US) will slap duties on US$50 billion in Chinese imports, with the first wave of tariffs to cover US$34 billion of goods and take effect 6 July. The president threatened to raise the total even higher if China retaliated, which it swiftly pledged to do.

China’s in-kind response to United States (US) President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs on US$50 billion of imports from the Asian nation left the global economy on the verge of a trade war.Two detailed lists of products on which tariffs will be collected starting 6 July now form the core of the conflict between the world’s two largest economies: One released Friday aimed at curbing China’s industrial advancement and the other aimed at hurting the commodity producers of the American h

The Trump administration moved the United States (US) to the edge of a trade war with China by announcing tariffs on US$50 billion in Chinese imports and pledging additional investment restrictions, which Beijing immediately vowed to retaliate against.The response from China signalled a rapid escalation of the dispute.

Last week, the world saw the new global order manifest itself in real time. On one hand, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) had a tense summit following United States (US) President Donald Trump’s announcement of imposing tariffs on European Union (EU) countries. On the other, China held a two-day regional security summit with notable attendees like Russia and Iran.Naturally, it was Trump and the G7 that managed to dominate headlines.

Mixed reactions followed the recently concluded summit between United States (US) President, Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un.

United States (US) Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has spoken out against China’s strategy of “intimidation and coercion” in the South China Sea, including the deployment of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and electronic jammers, and, more recently, the landing of nuclear-capable bomber aircraft at Woody Island. There are, Mattis warned, “consequences to China ignoring the international community.”But what consequences?

If United States (US) President Donald Trump wanted to discredit the West, he could hardly be doing a more thorough job of it.

On Sunday, Xi and Putin toasted the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an eight-member bloc designed to coordinate security policies across Asia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed to continue improving ties between Asia’s most populous countries in a bilateral meeting on the side-lines of a summit in China.Xi was hosting leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the coastal city of Qingdao over the weekend.

Verbal warnings, strongly worded statements and freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) – all seem to have fallen on deaf ears as Beijing continues its pursuit of militarising islands in the disputed South China Sea.Last week during Asia’s premier defence summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, United States (US) Secretary of Defense, James Mattis called out China for their assertive actions.