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China’s exports jumped 12.4 per cent in March from a year earlier as companies rushed to beat increases in US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The customs administration said that imports declined 4.3 percent, according to ABC News.

It claimed exports from the world's second largest economy increased by 5.8 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the previous year, while imports sank 7 per cent.

China's trade surplus with the United States was $27.6 billion in March, as exports increased by 4.5 percent. It has a $76.6 billion trade surplus with the United States in the first quarter of this year.

China is facing 145 per cent tariffs on most exports to the United States as of the most recent revisions in Trump’s trade policies, ABC reported.

However, the biggest increases in exports were to China’s Southeast Asian neighbors, which saw exports from China jump nearly 17 per cent in March from a year earlier. Exports to Africa increased by more than 11 percent.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi on Monday to pay a state visit to Vietnam.

Vietnamese President Luong Cuong arrived at Noi Bai International Airport to greet General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, as well as a high-level Chinese delegation.

Two hundred members of the Drum Art Troupe welcomed the high-ranking Chinese delegation with special drum performances. There were also welcoming dances performed by 54 young women in traditional Vietnamese clothes, Xinhua reported.

This is Xi's fourth State visit to Vietnam as General Secretary and President of China; more importantly, it is the second visit by a Chinese leader to Vietnam in the same term.
The visit occurs in the backdrop of 2025 being a significant year, commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (January 18, 1950 - January 18, 2025).

This visit contributes to strengthening and deepening the framework of the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, while the Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future has strategic significance, elevating the two countries' relationship to new heights.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and trains suspended as gales hit Beijing and northern China on Saturday.

By 11:30 local time (03:30 GMT) on Saturday, 838 flights had been cancelled at the capital's two major airports, according to the news agency Reuters.

Beijing declared its first orange-level wind warning in a decade as a Mongolian cold vortex triggered extreme gusts (levels 11-13), toppling 300 trees, damaging vehicles, and disrupting airport express subways and high-speed rail, Reuters reported.

The strong winds are from a cold vortex system over Mongolia and are expected to last through the weekend.

President Donald Trump's administration has exempted smartphones and computers from his reciprocal tariffs, including a 125% tariff on Chinese goods.

Late on Friday, US Customs and Border Patrol issued a notification stating that the commodities would be exempt from Trump's 10% worldwide tariff on most countries, as well as the considerably bigger Chinese import tax, according to BBC.

The move comes after US IT businesses expressed fears that the cost of products, which are often built in China, will soar. Other electronic gadgets and components, such as semiconductors, solar cells, and memory cards, are excluded as well.

China has filed a lawsuit against the US with the WTO after the US issued an executive order on Thursday (US time), announcing a further increase in the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" imposed on Chinese products exported to the US, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Friday.

The spokesperson said that the US taxation measures are typical unilateral bullying and coercion practices, which seriously violate WTO rules and seriously undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order, according to the Global Times.

China will raise the additional tariffs on products imported from the United States to 125 percent, effective from Saturday, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council in Beijing announced Friday.

The news comes after the United States raised its "reciprocal tariffs" on Chinese imports, according to Xinhua.

The commission stated that the United States' imposition of unjustly high tariffs on China violates international economic and trade regulations, contradicts basic economic laws and common sense, and is nothing more than bilateral intimidation and coercion.

Even if the United States imposed even greater tariffs, the panel believes it would no longer make economic sense and would eventually be seen as a joke in world economic history, Xinhua reported.

However, if the United States continues to significantly undermine China's interests, China will take strong countermeasures and battle until the end, according to the commission.

China has moved to “moderately reduce” the release of Hollywood films in the Chinese market in the latest front of the growing United States- China trade war.

China's National Film Administration clearly tied their decision on Thursday to US tariffs on Chinese exports, which US President Donald Trump hiked to a sky-high 145%, Reuters reported.

The decision was certainly not surprising to analysts, who had projected that China would target Hollywood as a retaliation to rising US tariffs. 

As stated by Reuters, China accepts ten films from Hollywood each year, and the Chinese market was long regarded as a significant source of cash for the US film industry.

President Trump, who has already been criticised by numerous Hollywood celebrities for his actions, told reporters on Thursday that he was unconcerned by China's intention to attack the film industry.

With the arrival of the summer-autumn flight season in 2025, China Southern Airlines will optimize its flight layout starting from April 10, further enhancing the capacity of the China-Nepal route and promoting economic, cultural, and tourism cooperation between the two countries to new heights.

According to the latest flight schedule, China Southern will resume its night flight from Kathmandu to Guangzhou from April to October. The planned departure time from Kathmandu is 23:30, with one flight per day, Southern Airlines reported.

At the same time, the daytime flight schedule will be adjusted, with the overall departure time pushed back by 50 minutes, resulting in the planned departure time from Kathmandu being adjusted to 12:50. This optimization will enhance flight connections and allow passengers to arrange their schedules more comfortably. It is worth noting that the operating frequency of China Southern's daytime flights has also been adjusted at different times as per Southern Airlines.

From April 10 to May, daytime flights will operate four times a week (on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday). From June to August, daytime flights will be reduced to two times a week (on Sunday and Thursday). From September to October, daytime flights will resume daily. The number of seats planned by China Southern Airlines for this season has significantly increased. Approximately 45,000 seats will be offered from Kathmandu to Guangzhou, and over 46,000 seats from Guangzhou to Kathmandu. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of more than 6,000 seats, a growth of 16.5% on the Kathmandu-to-Guangzhou route, and over 13,000 seats, a growth of 39.9% on the Guangzhou-to-Kathmandu route. This adjustment not only provides passengers with more travel options but also further facilitates economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal, according to Southern Airlines.

This increase in transport capacity coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal and the "China-Nepal Tourism Year."

Australia has firmly rejected a proposal from Beijing to collaborate on countering US tariffs, instead reaffirming its commitment to diversifying trade partnerships and reducing dependence on China, its largest trading partner.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on Thursday dismissed the Chinese ambassador’s call for countries to “join hands” on global trade, insisting Canberra would not take sides in broader geopolitical contests, Reuters reported.

The diplomatic exchange comes following a substantial escalation in the US-China trade battle.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that he would hike tariffs on Chinese goods from 104% to 125%, while temporarily lowering taxes on dozens of other countries.

The move presents both opportunity and risk for Australia, which sends nearly a third of its exports to China, but less than 5% to the United States, according to Reuters.

Trump also imposed a flat 10% tariff on Australian imports—one of the lowest among his reciprocal tariffs—despite Australia being a key US security ally in the Indo-Pacific.

Australia's central bank has cautioned that ongoing global trade tensions, particularly between big economies such as the United States and China, might dissuade company investment and reduce household spending, adding uncertainty to the country's economic outlook.

U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning decision to pause the hefty duties he had just imposed on dozens of countries sent battered global stock markets surging on Thursday even as he ratcheted up a trade war with the world's No. 2 economy China, Reuters reported.

Trump's turnabout on Wednesday, which came less than 24 hours after steep new tariffs kicked in on most trading partners, followed the most intense episode of financial market volatility since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The upheaval erased trillions of dollars from stock markets and led to an unsettling surge in U.S. government bond yields that appeared to catch Trump's attention.

"I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line, they were getting yippy, you know," Trump told reporters after the announcement, referring to jitters sportpeople sometimes get.

U.S. stock indexes shot higher on the news, with the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab index closing 9.5% higher. Bond yields came off earlier highs and the dollar rebounded against safe-haven currencies, according to Reuters.

The relief spread through Asian markets as they opened on Thursday with Japan's Nikkei index (.N225), opens new tab surging 8% while European futures also pointed to a sharp rebound. Even Chinese stocks rose, propped up by hopes of state support, although its yuan currency fell to the lowest level since the global financial crisis.

China has announced new tariffs of 84% on the US, in a response to US president Donald Trump’s trade war that will raise fears of further escalation.

According to Reuters, the Chinese ministry of finance has declared that taxes on US imports will increase to 84% beginning Thursday, up from 34% previously announced.

On Wednesday, Trump imposed 104% tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States. China's announcement describes Mr. Trump's tariffs as "a mistake on top of a mistake".

Stock markets fell further on China's announcement of retaliatory tariffs, Reuters reported.

The FTSE 100 is down 3.4%. The Stoxx 600 index, which monitors Europe's largest corporations, is now down 4.2%. Germany’s Dax has fallen 3.4% today, while France’s Cac 40 has dropped 3.4%.

Donald Trump's "explosive" tariffs are now in effect, including 104% on China, the world's biggest exporter. The list also includes 60 of the "worst offending" countries, who will face taxation ranging from 11% to 50%.

The extra tariffs on China kicked in after Beijing refused to meet Trump's deadline to drop its own retaliatory duties against the US, BBC reported.

Trump has stated that tariffs are necessary for his economic vision, but experts warn that a full-fledged trade war is possible. Some Americans support tariffs, while others fear a recession.

US financial markets recovered early on Tuesday, but then fell once again after the White House confirmed the extra tariffs on China, according to BBC.

While China prepares to impose a 104% tax on many of its exports to the United States, anti-Trump sentiment is growing on the Chinese internet.
 

Apple is shifting more of its iPhone shipments to the US from India in an effort to navigate the financial shockwaves caused by a fresh round of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

The computer giant's stock has dropped 19% in three trading days, the largest decline in over 25 years, due to investor concern about rising costs from new tariffs on Chinese imports, according to Firstpost.

With tariffs of up to 54% on Chinese shipments, Apple has turned to India, where the equivalent rate is 26%. The move is intended as a short-term hedge while Apple seeks tariff exemptions, but the company has not yet overhauled its China-centric manufacturing network, which is still critical to its worldwide supply chain, Firstpost reported.

The death toll from the Myanmar earthquakes neared 2,900, while 72 people remain missing in Thailand.

As reported by Myanmar's State Administration Council communications team, the death toll is 2,886, with 4,639 injured and 373 still missing, Xinhua News reported.
In neighboring Thailand, 72 people remain missing in Bangkok, where the search for bodies continues at the site of the collapsed State Audit Office tower block.

Two deadly earthquakes with magnitudes 7.7 and 6.4 shook Myanmar and Thailand last Friday, with the epicenter in the Sagaing region, which apparently experienced the worst damage.
Overnight, Thai and international rescue crews took turns using sniffer dogs and heavy machinery to raise massive concrete blocks to reach the missing people.

A rescue official acknowledged that the teams are restricted in the number of heavy machines they can deploy simultaneously, as doing so could risk shifting large, buried debris.

Around 100 personnel were inside the State Audit Office tower building in Bangkok when it fell on Friday due to tremors from a strong earthquake near Myanmar's Mandalay area.
Several countries provided aid to Myanmar in response to the earthquakes. Japan announced on Wednesday that it was ready to pay $6 million in emergency grants to earthquake victims.

The government has also sent a team of Nepal Army with medical relief after the devastating earthquake in Myanmar last week caused massive loss of human lives.

China successfully sent a test satellite for satellite internet technology into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in the country's northwest, on Tuesday.

The satellite successfully achieved the intended orbit after being launched by a Long March-2D carrier rocket at 12:00 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to Xinhua.

Technical verification and experimentation, such as mobile-to-satellite broadband connections and space-ground network integration, are the main uses of test satellites for satellite internet technologies.

The launch marks the 567th mission for the Long March series carrier rockets, Xinhua reported.

More than 2,000 people in Myanmar have been killed following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that affected areas as far as Thailand and China.

Myanmar's military government has proclaimed a week of national mourning, with a minute of silence scheduled for later on Tuesday at 12:51 local, the exact time the tremor struck on Friday, BBC reported.

 In neighboring Thailand, 20 people have perished, and many have been evacuated from Bangkok's shattered buildings. Rescuers in both nations are still continuing their hunt for survivors, though hopes are diminishing since the vital window—the first 72 hours following a quake—has passed.

The UN believes the earthquake has exacerbated "an already dire crisis" in Myanmar, which is in the midst of a four-year civil conflict, according to BBC.

Despite the wreckage, reports indicate that the country's military officials are still conducting air attacks against pro-democracy rebel forces.