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South China Morning Post
42 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Xi-Trump call a ‘step back from the brink', but China's neighbours still caught in rivalry
The much-anticipated phone call between the leaders of China and the US could offer a respite for many Asian countries caught in their rivalry, but the detente might also complicate their calculations on how to strike a balance between the two superpowers, according to analysts. More than four months after his return to the White House, US President Donald Trump had what he described as a 'very positive' phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday. While Trump said his 90-minute discussion with Xi had not touched on matters beyond trade, it was widely considered a diplomatic breakthrough after weeks of worsening tensions between the world's two biggest economies. For many of China's neighbours that have relied on trade with both powers, the call between the two leaders has eased their predicament of having to choose between prioritising trade with China and navigating aggressive US policies. Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow with the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, said the phone call marked a 'tentative step back from the brink, offering brief respite for Asian neighbours like South Korea'. But he said the relationship between the two powers had 'become more fragile than ever', noting that it was the first phone call with Xi since Trump's inauguration in January.


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
US Supreme Court allows Doge to access sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans
The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration two victories on Friday in cases involving the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), including giving it access to Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The justices also separately reined in orders seeking transparency at Doge, the team once led by billionaire Elon Musk. The court's conservative majority sided with the Trump administration in the first Supreme Court appeals involving Doge. The three liberal justices dissented in both cases. The Doge victories come amid a messy break-up between the president and the world's richest man that started shortly after Musk's departure from the White House and has included threats to cut government contracts and a call for the president to be impeached. The future of Doge's work isn't clear without Musk at the helm, but both men have previously said that it will continue its efforts. In one case, the high court halted an order from a judge in Maryland that had restricted the team's access to the Social Security Administration (SSA) under federal privacy laws. 'We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA Doge Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work,' the court said in an unsigned order. Conservative lower-court judges have said there's no evidence at this point of Doge mishandling personal information.


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump says his top economic officials will meet with China counterparts in London next week
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his top economic officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts next week to discuss trade, just days after he conducted a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping , and also reiterated that Beijing agreed to restart exports of critical minerals. 'I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal,' Trump said on social media 'The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Already buoyed by a US jobs report on Friday that narrowly exceeded forecasts, stocks extended gains after Trump's announcement, with the benchmark S&P 500 index advancing by more than 1 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gaining around 1.3 per cent. The talks planned for next week will come just four days after Trump held a phone call with Xi to discuss a frayed trading relationship before extending invitations to visit each other's capitals. 05:05 Trump and Xi discuss Taiwan, troubled US-China trade ties in call breaking stand-off Trump and Xi discuss Taiwan, troubled US-China trade ties in call breaking stand-off Trump said shortly after the call on Thursday that the exchange 'resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries'.