The National Foreign Trade Council has condemned Australia's expanded News Bargaining Incentive, which now includes LinkedIn. The US trade body warned of a deteriorating investment climate, while local experts argue the plan lacks ambition and fails to address AI-driven content.
Russia's trade with Asia-Pacific countries, totaling about $500 billion and comprising over 74% of its total foreign trade, has largely transitioned to settlements in rubles and 'friendly currencies,' according to Ambassador Marat Berdyev.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that Russia holds the top position among Armenia's foreign trade partners and investors. He noted that Russian companies are actively involved in Armenia's mining, mechanical engineering, transport, energy, and digital economy sectors.
China has enacted a new law, dubbed the 2026 regulation on outbound direct investment (ODI), to probe and retaliate against foreign trade barriers and sanctions targeting its industries. The law requires Chinese investors to cooperate with authorities during overseas investigations.
Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Alexander Trofimov stated that Russia's foreign trade partners are often compelled to comply with anti-Russian sanctions due to their deep integration into Western-centric mechanisms, sometimes to their own detriment.
Russia is piloting crypto for foreign trade settlements under an experimental legal regime, allowing selected exporters and importers to bypass traditional banking. The success hinges on external service providers' willingness to engage despite sanctions risks.
China's foreign trade reached 20.68 trillion yuan from January to May, a 15.3% increase year-on-year. The growth, driven by optimized structures and leading "new three items" exports like electric vehicles and lithium batteries, highlights China's manufacturing prowess and increasing "intelligence content" in its exports, particularly in AI-related products.
Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced a broad package of economic reforms affecting tourism, foreign trade, investment, and the private sector. The measures aim to liberalize the economy, re-open tourism to new players, reform state import companies, and reduce ministries, while acknowledging US economic pressure and calling for unity.
Russia's foreign trade surplus fell 3.36% YoY to $43.1 bln in Jan-Apr 2026. Exports rose to $135.4 bln, imports to $92.3 bln, increasing trade turnover by 4.83% to $227.7 bln.
AI is significantly boosting China's foreign trade, with exports of integrated circuits and data processing equipment showing substantial growth. This AI-driven expansion is outpacing global trade slowdowns and is expected to continue shaping international trade patterns.
China's foreign trade grew 15.3% year-on-year in the first five months of 2026, reaching 20.68 trillion yuan. Imports rose 20.5% and exports 11.8%. Key highlights include strong import potential, optimized export structure with mechanical and electrical products leading, and diversified markets, particularly growth in Belt and Road Initiative countries.
Russia has transitioned approximately 50% of its foreign trade payments to rubles and national currencies, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The world is increasingly adopting alternative payment systems, including blockchain, and moving away from Western currencies.
Moscow's top foreign trade partners in Asia are Kazakhstan, India, and China, with Myanmar and China showing the greatest growth last year. Moscow's exports to Asian nations rose 28% by the end of 2025, with 36% of total exports directed to the region.
China Construction Bank launched the "Good Construction, Far-Reaching Finance - 2026 Hundred Cities, Ten Thousand Enterprises Stable Foreign Trade Upgrade Action" in Nanjing. The initiative aims to support foreign trade enterprises by enhancing cross-border financial services, promoting RMB usage, and providing risk management tools.
Yinchuan Customs organized an event to help foreign trade businesses, focusing on AEO certification benefits. The initiative aims to boost Ningxia's foreign trade by addressing enterprise challenges and optimizing the business environment.
The intact Prittlewell Anglo-Saxon burial site in Essex, described as a princely grave, offers a complete archaeological context challenging the 'Dark Ages' interpretation of early medieval England. Its well-preserved artifacts and arrangement reveal structured elite culture, social hierarchy, and evidence of foreign trade.
Russia's current account surplus decreased to $12.2 billion in Q1 2026 from $18.4 billion in Q1 2025, driven by a widening services deficit and a reduced income deficit, according to the Bank of Russia.
Russia's foreign trade surplus grew to $13.966 billion in March 2026, up $1.676 billion from the same period in 2025, with exports rising to $41.064 billion and imports to $27.098 billion.
Mongolia's foreign trade volume increased to $10.5 billion, driven by higher imports of Russian diesel fuel ($89 million) and gasoline ($78.3 million), following China's export ban in March 2026.
Russia's foreign trade surplus decreased by 11.92% to $30.3 billion in January-March 2026, with exports decreasing by $0.1 billion and imports increasing by $4 billion.
Huaqiangbei, home to the world’s largest electronics marketplace in southern China’s tech hub Shenzhen, is reinventing itself as the world’s artificial intelligence showroom, drawing back foreign traders and tourists hunting for the latest gadgets. For first-time visitors like Abigail Slagveer from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the sheer scale of Huaqiangbei’s electronics market is overwhelming. “I came here one and a half hours ago through that front door,” she said, pointing to an entrance just...
