![A Chinese container ship is unloaded in the port of Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/china-shipping-ports-GettyImages-1244241908-e1695198130466.jpg?w=800?quality=90)
List of Trade and Economics articles
Trade and Economics
![New electric cars for sale are seen parked at a distribution center of the Changan automobile company in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality on March 24, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2102854838.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Fight Over China’s Electric Cars Is Upside-Down
Why Europe’s car companies are against—and environmentalists are for—making Chinese EVs more expensive.
![A Thai woman has her face painted with a Thai flag prior to the opening ceremony of the AFC Asian Football Cup in Bangkok on July 7, 2007.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/thai-flag-GettyImages-75257305.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Southeast Asia in BRICS Is Good for the Global Order
The club’s expansion affirms the Global South’s hedging strategy—and sends a message to the great powers.
![A Ukrainian border guard in a camouflaged uniform faces a yellow and white Ukrzaliznytsia diesel train and a red Polish SKPL transport company train on two sets of railroad tracks in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-railways-europe-GettyImages-1730213664.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine Lays Its Tracks to Europe
By expanding its railways, Kyiv hopes to tie its fate to the rest of the continent.
![Labour leader Keir Starmer delivers a stump speech.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/StarmerUKElection-GettyImages-2159689128.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.K. Conservative Party Expected to Lose Snap Elections
A mix of slow economic growth and party scandals has paved the opposition Labour Party’s path to victory.
![Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/trump-economy-GettyImages-2159730000.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Trump’s Plan to Weaken the Dollar Makes No Sense
The policy would directly counter the one thing he claims to be fighting against.
![The BYD Explorer No. 1 car carrier gets loaded with new-energy vehicles for export at the port of Yantai, Shandong province, China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EV-china-eu-GettyImages-1926884696.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How China Could Retaliate Against the EU’s Looming EV Tariffs
China wants to contain growing trade threats without further alienating Europe.
![Afghan refugees carry their belongings after being deported back from Iran at the Islam Qala Border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province, on May 30.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Afghan-refugees-Iran-GettyImages-2154706359.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Afghan Asylum Seekers Face Hostility in Iran
As the country heads to a presidential run-off election, its largest immigrant population has featured prominently in the debate.
![Kenyan youths carry flags during the candle light vigil in memory of dead protesters on June 30, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/kenya-protests-ruto-tax-bill-july-GettyImages-2159375301.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Kenya’s Ruto Survive?
After a deadly crackdown and government backtracking on legislation, young Kenyans are still taking to the streets.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) reaches to shake hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Kyiv.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ZelenskyOrban-GettyImages-2159703245.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Orban Urges Zelensky to Consider Cease-Fire Before Russian Peace Talks
Hungary and Ukraine have long struggled to balance fraught ties with the European Union’s wider ambitions.
![A Houthi fighter guards the Galaxy Leader vessel on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, Yemen.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Houthis-Navy-US-GettyImages-2152899182.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Can’t the U.S. Navy and Its Allies Stop the Houthis?
Months of intense Western naval operations have failed to secure the Red Sea.
![Marine Le Pen, the former president of the Rassemblement National, gives a speech during the first round of the parliamentary elections in Henin-Beaumont, France.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/france-far-right-le-pen-GettyImages-2159407035-e1719858031906.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Economic Issues Drove France’s Far-Right Win
The Rassemblement National found first-round success, but what is its economic platform?
![An Iranian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Tehran.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IranElection-GettyImages-2158998484.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Iranians Go to the Polls to Elect a New President
All four candidates seek different approaches to curbing Western sanctions and supporting Islamist groups in the Middle East.
![U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/trump-biden-presidential-debate-june-2024-GettyImages-2158941093.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Key Foreign-Policy Moments From the Trump-Biden Debate
The two candidates clashed over Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, immigration, and America’s global image.
![A group of protesters hold their arms up above their heads, crossed at the wrists, as they protest a finance law on the streets of Nairobi.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kenya-unrest-financial-system-GettyImages-2157587094.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Deep Roots of Kenya’s Unrest
A tax bill sparked deadly protests. But a broken financial system has plagued the country for years.
![Kenyan President William Ruto addresses members of the media in Nairobi.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/KenyaRutoProtests-GettyImages-2158762161.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Kenya’s Ruto Concedes to Protesters’ Demands Over Finance Bill
Nairobi’s government is wrestling with a looming debt crisis and high costs of living.
![Protesters hold banners and chant anti-government slogans in front of Kenyan police during a demonstration against tax hikes in Nairobi.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kenya-protests-US-Africa-diplomacy-GettyImages-2158657140.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Washington Fails to ‘Read the Room’ in Kenya
President Ruto is valued by the White House but much less popular at home.
![Three fishermen in a traditional vote ride the top of a wave as they had out to see. The lights of a gas terminal are seen on the horizon.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/senegal-gas-africa-oil-AP23103625472193.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Empty Promise of Africa’s Oil and Gas Boom
The continent is awash in fossil fuel discoveries. But relying on them for development will be disastrous.
![Men sit on the railway line near the airport in Kolwezi, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 7, 2018.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/drc-railway-congo-katanga-copper-lobito-GettyImages-957960666.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Africa’s Critical Mineral Race Heats Up
Competing railway corridors pit the United States against China; Kenya faces a violent crackdown on tax protests.
![Leaders in business attire in a row on a golf course look up at the sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/g7-summit-day-one-GettyImages-2156775446.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun
The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China.
![Aerial view of a deforested area of the Amazonia rainforest in the surroundings of the BR-319 highway at the city of Humaita, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Sept. 15, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/brazil-amazon-deforestation-GettyImages-1243267321.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Relieve Debt to Protect the Environment
Debt-for-nature swaps on a grand scale could slow climate change and promote economic growth in the Global South.
![Brian Gu, co-president of Xpeng Inc., has his photo taken next to Xpeng G6 and X9 electric cars in Hong Kong.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CHINA-EV-CARS-TARIFFS-GettyImages-2152791138.png?w=800?quality=80)
Western Protectionism Needs an End Date
Reliance on tariffs to shield against superior Chinese products is a trap.
![A file photo shows a worker at a banana plantation in Santa Marta, Colombia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1779062672.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Case Against Chiquita
A U.S. court holds the fruit company accountable for death-squad murders in Colombia.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a concert in North Korea.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PutinKim-GettyImages-2157681504.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Signs Landmark Security Deal With North Korea
In retaliation, South Korea signaled its intent to consider sending arms to Ukraine.
![Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 10, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1605388827-e1718779784321.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Capitalism Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.
Investor Ruchir Sharma argues Washington needs to get out of the way.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen in side-by-side comparison photos.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PutinKim-GettyImages-2156598700.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Heads to the Hermit Kingdom
Russia seeks more ammunition for its war in Ukraine as North Korea hopes to obtain military tech help.
![Chinese Premier Li Qiang watches uniformed members Australian military in dress uniform as they perform an honor guard gun salute with a cannon outside of the parliament building in Canberra. A cloud of smoke emerges from the mouth of the cannon, and the air is thick with smoke. Chinese and Australian flags are visible farther in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CHINA-COLDWAR-GettyImages-2157346385.png?w=800?quality=80)
The President Needs to Lead the Cold War on China
A comprehensive economic strategy can forestall Beijing.
![A man walks past a currency exchange office in Moscow.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156747006_bb198e.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is Russia’s Economy Still Growing?
Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have had limited impact.
![People walk past a train on a platform with their luggage.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/africa-development-china0-GettyImages-2059538426.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Africa Can Learn From China’s Rise
The continent’s human capital is its greatest resource.
![Residential buildings under construction are seen in Hangzhou, China, on May 9.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/china-property-crisis-GettyImages-2151570640.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can China Turn Its Property Glut Into Affordable Housing?
A previous plan to build 36 million homes led to widespread corruption.
![A worker walks past scorched equipment in a turbine hall at a destroyed power plant in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ukraine-energy-GettyImages-2147953021.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Cuts Ukraine’s Power
With constant assaults on the electricity grid, Moscow is adding an explosive twist to an old playbook.
![An illustration shows symbols from the U.S. dollar acting as balloons as they lift George Washington from the dollar bill as he sits atop a globe throne.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dollar-currency-dominance-Brian-Stauffer-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Don’t Bet Against the Dollar
U.S. competitors are pushing the limits of autonomy within a dollar-based system, but there isn’t a real global alternative—and the world is far from an inflection point.
![Singapore's incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is seen from a distance beyond the crowd of seated attendees at his inauguration. in shows a crowd of people in the foreground and the presidential palace building the back. Wong stands at a table on a stage set up in front of a large official building, holding his right hand up as he is sworn in. The flag of Singapore hangs from a pole in behind the table.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-GettyImages-2152495307.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What the West Can Learn From Singapore
Data shows that in key areas, Singapore is better at governing than the U.S. and Britain.
![Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/XI-CHINA-ECONOMY-GettyImages-2154759631.png?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is Xi Not Fixing China’s Economy?
Explanations from insiders range from ignorance to ideology.
![World Bank President Ajay Banga, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, and Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze take part in an event at the World Bank headquarters in Washington on April 18.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ajay-banga-world-bank-GettyImages-2147908756.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Caribbean Summit Showcases the Power of Island Politics
Vulnerable nations continue to punch above their weight in global debates on climate finance and justice.
![An employee of Mexcio's National Electoral Institute oversees early voting for Mexico's general election.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2151203680-1-e1717109087707.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Mexico’s Election Matters
A vote for continuity could see further erosion of democratic institutions—with consequences for the rest of the world.
![The liquefied natural gas tanker Vladimir Rusanov is seen after its arrival from Russia’s Arctic Yamal peninsula in Nantong, China, on July 19, 2018.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/China-Russia-Arctic-sea-maritime-trade-Northern-Sea-Route-GettyImages-1001536390.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Geopolitics of New Arctic Shipping Lanes
Turmoil in the Middle East makes the Northern route more attractive, if still treacherous.
![Electric cars are waiting to be loaded onto a cargo ship for export at a port facility in Yantai, China, on Jan. 10.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/china-tariff-ev-GettyImages-1915751404-e1717052570757.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden’s New Tariffs Should Raise Alarm Bells in Beijing
In the fight for economic dominance, Washington is playing the long game.
![A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Johannesburg on May 29.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SouthAfricaElection-GettyImages-2155187367.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
South Africa Votes in Most Competitive Election Since End of Apartheid
The ruling African National Congress faces heavy criticism for its legacy of state corruption and failed economic reforms.
![The sun against a gray sky over an oil refinery](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/mexico-energy-GettyImages-2154562836.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Mexico’s Next Leader Has an Energy Problem
The country cannot expand and modernize its infrastructure under the primacy of two state companies.
![Filipino fishermen along with civilian volunteers arrive at a meeting point in the South China Sea on May 15.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/philippines-fishermen-south-china-sea-GettyImages-2152478937.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Philippines Needs Butter, Not Just Guns
To counter China, Washington must help its ally address economic issues.
![A man stands next to a glowing electric vehicle charging station as he plugs in his car at night.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/electric-vehicle-biden-china-GettyImages-1242853588.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Biden Deferring the Green Transition to Contain China?
Electric vehicle tariffs put geopolitics before climate change.
![Farmers work in a field donated to the Black community in Coligny, South Africa on Apr. 15, 2019.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/land-reform-south-africa-GettyImages-1138594779.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Land Reform Matters in South Africa’s Election
Even in an urbanized economy, many Black voters care deeply about the government’s unfulfilled promises when it comes to land redistribution.
![A man displays a newspaper article on the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Fico-Slovakia-GettyImages-2153180217.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Political Assassinations Often Succeed
The attempted killing of the Slovak prime minister is part of a recent wave.
![U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after a meeting in Woodside, California.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1784317745.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Are U.S.-China Talks Accomplishing Anything?
Meetings on climate and AI show some progress, but tech competition still dominates the relationship.
![An aerial photo shows shipping containers stacked at the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in Ningbo, China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-china-US-Trade-compeition-GettyImages-1258495460.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Democracy Needs an Economic NATO
Fighting Chinese coercion requires new alliances.
![A city power worker removes an illegally connected electrical cable in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 9, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/South-Africa-electricity-GettyImages-1241195544.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can South Africa Keep the Lights On?
Even with the suspension of power cuts, voters remain skeptical ahead of the country's general elections.
![Elon Musk arrives to inaugurate a Starlink satellite unit at a community health center in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/elon-musk-indonesia-GettyImages-2153133508.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Elon Musk Test the South Asian Market?
As the tech billionaire markets his Starlink internet service, the region presents an opening—as well as some challenges.
![A sign for the U.S.-based McKinsey & Company management consulting firm is seen on a wall in Geneva, carved in a serif font in an expanse of gray stone.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CONSULTANCIES-INFORMATION-MCKINSEY-GettyImages-1239940060.png?w=800?quality=80)
Consulting Firms Have Stumbled Into a Geopolitical Minefield
The era of free-flowing information is over.
![U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks to reporters alongside Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank spring meetings in Washington, D.C.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/us-ukraine-funding-yellen-2024-05-21T093807Z_1239713597_RC2M87AL86YZ_RTRMADP_3_G7-FINANCE-YELLEN-CHINA.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Still Has a Lend-Leash Act for Ukraine
Washington is finding ways to get Kyiv more money—but keeps it hamstrung from actually fighting the war.
![An illustration of a blooming plum branch shows a statue of Chairman Mao at left with workers walking across a bridge before the scene turns into one of growth and modernity with city skyline plane and construction cranes.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/China-Abundance-post-Mao-illustration-Final.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Produced the China Miracle?
A powerful new book challenges conventional wisdom about the role of the state in Beijing’s rise.
![The top of a protester's head is seen slightly out of focus as they hold up a picket sign that reads “Boycott Israel” during a demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark. The text is stamped in black block letters on the sign, which is made from bright orange fabric.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2151065703.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is the War in Gaza Turning Israel Into a Pariah State?
Possible ICC warrants are the latest indicators.
![A cat (L) is seen inside the hazmat suit sleeve of a health worker taking swab samples from residents in Shanghai on June 6, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/covid-pandemic-cat-GettyImages-1241140320.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Blocking a Fair WHO Pandemic Accord Endangers Humanity
Without an equitable agreement, including wealthy nations sharing IP with poorer ones, the world is doomed to repeat its COVID-era mistakes.
![A pencil-drawn portrait of Robert Lighthizer seen in profile, wearing glasses and looking to the right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Robert-lighthizer-trump-foreign-policy-profile.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Man Who Would Help Trump Upend the Global Economy
As a potential U.S. Treasury secretary, Robert Lighthizer has more than trade policy to revolutionize.
![Residential buildings are under construction in China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ChinaRealEstate-GettyImages-2151570892.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
China Tackles Housing Crisis With New State Initiatives
Beijing plans to help purchase unsold homes, slash down payments, and reduce mortgage interest rates.
![American singer Beyoncé performs onstage at an arena in Sweden, surrounded by background dancers. Beyoncé wears large earrings and a short dress and elaborate jacket made out of the same holographic, silvery fabric. Two backup dancers kneel in bridge poses, and Beyoncé sits on top of them with her microphone as she looks out at the audience with a small smile.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/beyonce-economics-tooze-GettyImages-1488956114.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How the Beyoncé Bump Affected Sweden
In some markets, the megastar creates her own economic climate system.
![BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 29: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), speaks to the media following talks at the Chancellery on November 29, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Scholz met with the five leaders as part of an annual, informal dialogue over the global economic situation. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1245208976-e1715013917670.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Biden’s New China Tariffs Mean for World Trade
“We are very concerned,” says WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
![U.S. President Joe Biden announces increased tariffs on Chinese products in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 14.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BIDEN-TARIFFS-CHINA-GettyImages-2152931249.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Should Stop Playing the Victim Over China Trade
Washington can accept reality and shift strategies.
![Josep Borrell arrives for a summit at the EU Parliament in Brussels.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/josep-borrell-eu-GettyImages-1246942097.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
‘We Are Allied, but We Are Not Aligned’
Josep Borrell, Europe’s outgoing foreign-policy chief, on the U.S., China, Ukraine, and Gaza.
![Three Pakistani farm workers stand in a wheat field, feeding piles of cut wheat into a mechanical thresher. One of the workers is resting on a bag of threshed wheat, preparing another empty bag. The sky overhead is blue and clear, and a ridge of trees is visible far in the distance.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pakistan-wheat-farmers-GettyImages-2151147839.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Pakistan Seeks More IMF Funding Amid Protests
The country has achieved a measure of economic stability, but it needs structural reforms—not just a bailout.
![U.S. President Joe Biden signs documents that increase tariffs on China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BidenChinaTariffs-GettyImages-2152385974.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden Announces New Tariffs on Chinese Imports
Beijing denounced the move as the White House seeks to court key U.S. battleground states ahead of November’s presidential election.
![An aerial shot shows lines of dozens of new electric cars, seen from overhead in a packed-dirt lot as they wait to be loaded onto a ship at a port in Yantai, China. Most of the cars are black or white but a few are yellow.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/china-electric-vehicle-ev-cars-GettyImages-2147918971.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can the U.S. Catch Up to China on EVs?
It’s not clear if Biden’s expanded tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles will ultimately serve U.S. interests.
![Workers wearing reflective orange jackets stand on an airport tarmac and sweep a red carpet that extends from the boarding steps of the Chinese president's airplane. The pavement around the carpet is damp with puddles, and the sky overhead is gray and overcast.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/XI-EUROPE-GettyImages-2151387589.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europeans Need to Trump-Proof China Policy
The United States is an unpredictable ally—but Beijing isn’t a better option.
![A head-and-shoulders photo of a man with white hair wearing a suit and tie.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/russian-defense-minister-andrei-belousov-GettyImages-1211398166.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Who Is Russia’s New Defense Minister?
Putin’s appointment of economist Andrei Belousov suggests Moscow is digging in for the long haul.
![Aerial view showing the construction works in the area where the Chinese company Cosco Shipping is building a port in Chancay, some 80 km north of Lima, on August 22, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CHINA-COSCO-PERU-GettyImages-1617815374.png?w=800?quality=80)
Peru Learns to Read the Fine Print in China Deals
A mistaken provision has given Beijing control of a key port.
![A photo collage illustration shows Navy brass pictured with Fat Leonard raising glasses against a backdrop of Navy ships in the Pacific. Overlaid text reads: Wanted by U.S. Marshals next to a round image of Fat Leonard applying a spa facial mask.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Fat-Leonard-craig-whitlock-book-review-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
‘Fat Leonard’ Was a Crook U.S. Admirals Called Bro
In the Navy, you can do as you please.
![Tesla vehicles stand outside of a Brooklyn showroom and service center in New York City.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1024608362.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What’s Ailing Tesla?
More people are buying electric cars, just not from Elon Musk.
![Supporters of Panamanian presidential candidate José Raúl Mulino celebrate his election victory in the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City on May 5.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Panama-election-Mulino-GettyImages-2151118564.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Panama Picks a New President
José Raúl Mulino faces an uphill climb out of an economic and political slump.
![Chinese President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shake hands in Belgrade, Serbia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/XiSerbia-GettyImages-2151456019.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
China’s Xi Cultivates ‘Ironclad Friendship’ in Eastern Europe
The anti-Western mindset of Serbia’s and Hungary’s leaders fuels ample opportunities for Chinese investment.
![Vietnamese electric vehicle brand VinFast displays the VF7 EV during the Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta on Feb. 24.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/INDONESIA-ELECTRICVEHICLES-GettyImages-2028608519.png?w=800?quality=80)
Indonesia Bets Big on Electric Vehicles
Jakarta’s latest development gamble hinges on the green transition.
![Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the 56th annual Silver Elephant dinner hosted by the South Carolina Republican Party in Columbia, South Carolina.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/trump-trade-GettyImages-1579547069.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Get Ready for Trump Trade Wars 2.0
Past is prologue, to the chagrin of experts, economists, and allies.
![Migrants walk by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito, Darién province, Panama, on Sept. 22, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/migration-darien-gap-GettyImages-1683905554.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Are More Chinese Migrants Arriving at the U.S. Southern Border?
Asylum-seekers and others are making the journey through the risky Darién Gap in the wake of the pandemic.
![French President Emmanuel Macron greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is in France as part of a five-day trip to Europe.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2151150775-e1715095141691.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
China Wants to ‘Divide and Conquer’ Europe
Why Xi Jinping is visiting France, Serbia, and Hungary this week.
![Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Joe Biden sit in brown armchairs flanked by flags with a small table in between them.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/amlo-biden-GettyImages-1787532639.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Mexico and the United States Need to Talk About China Now
Near-simultaneous presidential elections risk putting bilateral relations on a collision course.
![A Ukrainian serviceman wearing combat fatigues is seen from the waist up as he stands on a grassy field. His arms are crossed over a rifle that he holds against his chest, and a Christian rosary with white and purple beads hangs from the neck of the rifle.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-religion-economics-war-ukraine-soldier-GettyImages-1240458797.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Divine Marketplace Is Pretty Crowded
Religions aren’t just spiritual communities. They’re also businesses.
![A historic photograph shows a group of workers surrounding a man who is weighing opium at a factory.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-opium-british-colonialism-india-china-drug-trade-GettyImages-1354468705.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Opioid High of Empire
Two new books turn a spotlight on how the colonial past lives on in unacknowledged ways.
![French President Emmanuel Macron walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping after inspecting an honor guard during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1250816620.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Xi Win Back Europe?
The Chinese leader’s visit follows weeks of escalating tensions between China and the continent.
![Cars drive along a multilane highway in Caracas, Venezuela. Many billboards and signs line the side of the road, including one past a billboard with a message blaming the opposition for U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Venezuela-Sanctions-GettyImages-2147863648.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Real Cost of Reimposing Sanctions on Venezuela
Sectoral sanctions are hurting the country’s democratic transition—and pushing Caracas closer to U.S. adversaries.
![A view of dump trucks loaded with nickel ore at a mining site in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia on Aug. 3, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/indonesia-nickel-ev-supply-GettyImages-1595691689.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Without Indonesia’s Nickel, EVs Have No Future in America
The IRA and Senate opposition to a free trade deal with Jakarta are undermining the United States’ green transition.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping make a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Putin-Xi-GettyImages-1248996591.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Very Real Limits of the Russia-China ‘No Limits’ Partnership
Intense military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is a problem for the West. Their bilateral trade is not.
![Four exhaust pipe towers from a gas pipeline station release smoke into the twilight sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Nordstream-globalization-russia-europe-GettyImages-1368238787.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Globalization Rose and Fell With Nord Stream
The pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe was once seen as a triumph for borderless business—but Putin’s invasion of Ukraine put an end to that fantasy.
![A photo illustration shows a deflated plastic globe with a pen speared into it.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/global-governance-deflated-globe-pen-Matt-Chase-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Where Global Governance Went Wrong—and How to Fix It
International agreements have not balanced our freedoms in the way that they should.
![A scene from the movie Civil War.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Civil_War2_movie.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What a Real Civil War Would Do to the U.S. Economy
A new film focuses on politics, but the economic impact would be huge.
![Chinese President Xi Jinping sits at a wood-paneled desk, shuffling through paper documents as he presides over a meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Xi is a middle-aged man wearing a black suit and red tie, and he wears a serious expression as he reads the documents.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/XI-CHINA-ECONOMY-GettyImages-2067279983.png?w=800?quality=80)
Xi Jinping Has Tough Economic Choices Ahead
China is likely to pick security over prosperity.
![Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Colombia-Brazil Business Forum in Bogotá on April 16.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/colombia-brazil-presidents-bogotaGettyImages-2147892033.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
New Leaders Turn the Region’s Geopolitics on Its Head
Argentina wants to become a NATO partner—and Colombia seeks to join BRICS+.
![Bank of Japan (BOJ) Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a press conference after a two-day meeting at the BOJ headquarters.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BANK-JAPAN-INFLATION-GettyImages-2088776056.png?w=800?quality=80)
Japan’s Big Bet on Interest Rates May Not Pay Off
A vote of confidence in the future may be undercut by a lukewarm economy.
![A worker picks fruit at a farm at the Malkia kibbutz.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ISRAEL-WORKERS-PALESTINIAN-INDIAN-GettyImages-1722248200.png?w=800?quality=80)
Israel Is Desperate to Replace Palestinian Farmhands
Newly arrived Indian workers say abuse is common.
![Ishag Abdullah Khatir, 30 from Geneina in West Sudan whose leg was amputated after he was shot by RSF soldiers, walks through Ambelia refugee camp on April 20 in Adre, Chad.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sudan-rsf-war-GettyImages-2149430389.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Washington Sanction Sudan’s RSF?
Lawmakers are calling for direct measures against the group’s leader, Hemeti.
![U.S. President Joe Biden, touching his temple with his right hand, delivers remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Biden-oil-sanctions-GettyImages-2135836490.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Congressional Push for Oil Sanctions Puts Biden in a Bind
New measures to punish Iran, Venezuela, and Russia could raise crude prices and hurt Biden in an election year.
![Greenpeace activists pose with placards as they stage a protest seeking to block the oil tanker "Seychelles Pioneer," reportedly carrying Russian oil, in the Port of Antwerp on April 10, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/RUSSIA-GREENPEACE-OIL-GettyImages-1239883247.png?w=800?quality=80)
Russia’s Shadow Fleet Could Create Strange Allies
Both Greenpeace and NATO are working against off-book oil tankers.
![Newspapers in Tehran feature news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1248021114.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Much Leverage Does China Really Have Over Iran?
Washington wants Beijing to rein in Tehran, but experts say it’s not that simple.
![Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during part of the opening ceremony of "Make in India" week in Mumbai on February 13, 2016.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-509961256.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Modi’s ‘Make in India’ Didn’t Make Jobs
India’s prime minister could win reelection without having fixed his country’s unemployment crisis.
![A view of the main stage during the Web Summit Rio 2024 at the RioCentro Expo Center in Rio de Janeiro on April 16.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Web-Summit-Rio-startups-tech-Latin-America-Brazil-GettyImages-2147861948.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Latin American Start-Ups Make Their Pitch
From fintech to AI, investors are enthusiastic about the region’s growth potential.
![Jordanian soldiers stand guard near the “Gate of Peace” at the Jordan Valley site of Baqura, east of the Jordan River, with the Israeli flag flying over the Israeli side of the border.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Arab-states-Israel-Jordan-GettyImages-1182127433.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Arab States Haven’t Broken With Israel
Arabs across the region are angry, but regimes can’t afford to sever ties.
![A new floating production, storage, and offloading vessel is under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, China, on April 17, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/china-shipyard-shipping-GettyImages-1251939897-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Forget About Chips—China Is Coming for Ships
Beijing’s grab for hegemony in a critical sector follows a familiar playbook.
![A Palestinian boy enters a destroyed building in Rafah.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IsraelRafah-GettyImages-2147871154.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.S. and Israel Meet to Discuss Rafah Operation
The Biden administration fears an offensive would result in a high civilian death toll.
![International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, a middle-aged woman wearing a bright red suit jacket, sits in front of a microphone onstage at an IMF meeting in Washington, D.C. A large screen behind her shows the name of the session in colorful lettering: "Global Policy Agenda 2024."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMF-WORLDBANK-AFRICA-GettyImages-2147899419.png?w=800?quality=80)
African Lending Needs a Better World Bank
The Bretton Woods institutions are due a revamp from their colonial roots.
![Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the celebrations to mark countrys Independence Day in New Delhi on August 15, 2022. - India marked the 75th anniversary of independence on August 15 with Modi giving a speech from Delhi's historic Red Fort, hung with freedom fighters' pictures and guarded by robot elephants. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1242514057_caf4fe-e1713384619277.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Modi Is So Popular
Soon likely to win a third term, India’s prime minister has shaped the country in profound ways.