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The US, China, markets, Germany, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Cambodia.
The five things you need to know today:
CHINA. UNITED STATES. Xi chooses his moment to speak.
MARKETS. UNITED STATES. Erratic decisions make for erratic valuations.
GERMANY. Merz survives the White House unscathed.
INDIA. PAKISTAN. Another safeguard is questioned as Modi visits Kashmir.
THAILAND. CAMBODIA. A longstanding dispute flares again.
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CHINA. UNITED STATES. Kowtow the line
Xi chooses his moment to speak.
Elon Musk called for Donald Trump to be impeached Thursday while the president said his former adviser had gone "crazy". Xi Jinping held a long-awaited call with Trump, agreeing to hold more talks on trade and inviting him to Beijing.
INTELLIGENCE. After blanking him for weeks, Xi appears to have accepted Trump's call, sensing domestic weakness and a readiness to bend the knee. Beijing's readout emphasised Trump's "great respect for President Xi" and the “one-China policy”. And as a judge blocked a bar on foreign students attending Harvard, Beijing added "the US loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America." Trump emphasised trade, saying the call was "very good".
FOR BUSINESS. Musk has gone to war against Trump's budget and the president as well. Trump needs some wins to appease senators who might be encouraged to side with the Tesla mogul and other fiscal hawks. Beijing will welcome the extra leverage. It will also welcome Trump’s decision to send both Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent to the next meeting with Chinese negotiators. In talks with Japan, both have allegedly descended into open bickering.
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MARKETS. UNITED STATES. Priced to perfidy
Erratic decisions make for erratic valuations.
Tesla shares stabilised in after-hours trading Friday after falling 14% Thursday, following Elon Musk's spat with Donald Trump. Benchmarks fell despite easing US-China tensions. Musk walked-back threats to retire SpaceX's Dragon rocket.
INTELLIGENCE. After Trump threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk's companies, Musk threatened
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