Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 3, 2019

Cary Huang, SCMP: China’s economy is hurting and a trade deal can’t come a moment too soon for Beijing

* China’s official economic figures point to a bad year. Beijing has only one real way out of the slump – it needs to end the trade war with Washington. Vice-Premier Liu He, who visits the US this week, should hammer out a deal soon

Deal or no deal, the ongoing US-China trade war
has already taken its toll on the Chinese economy. The latest evidence is the decline in profits in China’s export-oriented manufacturing industry. In the first two months of the year, Chinese industrial firms’ profits fell 14 per cent year on year, to 708 billion yuan (US$105 billion), according to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics. It is the sharpest contraction since 2009.

Obviously, the trade war with the United States has dealt a severe blow to China, the world’s second-largest economy, and weighed on Chinese factory activity, corporate earnings, business and consumption.

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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 3, 2019

Xi Jinping Is Winning the National Security War -- Gordon G. Chang, National Interest

Why are Australian politicians intensifying their presence on Chinese social media platforms? -- Michael Walsh, Stephen Dziedzic and Jason Fang, ABC News Online

Trial of the century opens in Malaysia -- Nile Bowie and Matt Mulberry, Asia Times

Bouteflika’s resignation means Algeria is ready to turn a page… or is it? -- Luigi Lonardo, LSE

Erdogan’s Electoral Setback and Its Aftermath -- Bulent Aliriza, CSIS

Kurds face changing political landscape -- Faisal Al Yafai, Asia Times

The many and different faces of terror -- M.K. Narayanan, The Hindu

The Islamic State Was a Sham -- Daniel R. DePetris, National Interest

Theresa May Tears Up Her Red Lines -- Paul Goodman, Conservative Home

What next? UK’s May, opposition seek elusive Brexit concord -- Jill Lawless, AP

Theresa May Crosses the Rubicon -- Robert Peston, Spectator

Theresa May Clearly Thinks Jeremy Corbyn Is Stupid -- Sean O'Grady, Independent

The West Takes NATO for Granted. One Country Still Wants In. -- Neil Hauer, The Atlantic

NATO at 70: Where next? -- Politico

How fair are the trials of Catalan pro-independence politicians? -- Thomas Sparrow, DW

Here’s How Venezuela’s ‘Interim President’ Blew His Chance to Oust Maduro -- Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, Daily Beast