World
Indonesia to buy first aircraft carrier. Heavy clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. China bans online ‘pessimism’.
By Jonathan Pearlman.Trump–Xi meeting planned in bid to ‘work out’ trade war
Great power rivalry
United States: Donald Trump and Xi Jinping plan to meet later this month to try to resolve their intensifying trade war, as the US president responded to new Chinese controls on rare earth exports by threatening a 100 per cent tariff.
China last week announced sweeping new restrictions for exports of rare earths and critical minerals that will require Chinese exporters and foreign companies to seek approval before the minerals, or any products that contain them, are sent abroad. The move could affect the development by the US and other countries of a range of technologies, including smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets.
In response, Trump threatened to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on imports from China from November 1 – a move that would effectively end trade between the world’s two largest economies.
But Trump, perhaps wary of the jitters affecting financial markets following his threat, signalled this week that he remained confident the two sides could reach an agreement.
“Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine!” he said on social media. “Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I.”
Trump and Xi are due to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which is being held in South Korea on October 31 and November 1.
The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, this week accused Beijing of seeking to “pull everybody else down with them”, telling the Financial Times China was suffering a recession and that the critical minerals controls would only add to its economic troubles. He said Xi was not necessarily responsible for the new restrictions, which he said may have been imposed by “hardliners” in China’s ministries of commerce and state security.
“If they want to slow down the global economy, they will be hurt the most,” he said.
China’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday it was willing to “fight to the end” in trade talks.
Beijing has not confirmed that Xi will meet Trump. But Bessent told Fox News this week the meeting was still due to happen.
“The idea is to give them time to meet and work this out,” he said.
The neighbourhood
Indonesia: Indonesia plans to buy its first aircraft carrier – a decommissioned Italian vessel – despite concerns the ship will be a waste of money and a liability for the country’s navy.
According to a recent report on Janes, a defence intelligence website, Indonesia’s government planning agency on August 29 approved a foreign loan of up to US$450 million to buy Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian aircraft carrier that was retired in 2024. Only about eight countries have aircraft carriers in service.
Indonesian authorities have confirmed they want to buy the Garibaldi but have provided little detail about the purchase or the need for the vessel. Some military figures have indicated they want the ship to support disaster relief operations, citing the difficulties facing relief efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
But the move has been roundly criticised by analysts in Indonesia, who say the ship is ill-suited to the navy’s capabilities and goals.
Febry Triantama, from Paramadina University, wrote on The Diplomat website this week that the Garibaldi was a poor choice to assist in disaster relief because it will struggle to operate in Indonesia’s shallow waters and narrow channels. “The acquisition of an aircraft carrier could potentially be just an impulsive purchase,” he wrote.
Indonesia may also be seeking to expand its military reach by acquiring an aircraft carrier. But the 40-year-old Italian vessel is expected to have a limited life span and will require extensive maintenance that may be beyond the capabilities of Indonesia’s shipyards.
Tangguh Chairil, from Bina Nusantara University, told The Jakarta Post last week: “With a limited budget, it is much more urgent for the Indonesian navy to procure more submarines, surface combatant vessels and patrol boats, instead of an aircraft carrier.”
War zone
Afghanistan: A series of heavy clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan erupted last weekend amid rising tensions over a Taliban-linked militant group that has killed hundreds of Pakistanis.
The Taliban, which rules Afghanistan, began attacking Pakistani forces last Saturday, blaming Pakistan for air strikes in Kabul and at a market in the south-eastern province of Paktika. The air strikes reportedly targeted leaders of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group that has close ties to the Taliban and is believed to be behind a growing number of attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan did not confirm or deny its role in the air strikes.
The Taliban said it had conducted “retaliatory” strikes against Pakistan, resulting in clashes at various points along their border. Pakistan said it had killed at least 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters; the Taliban said it had killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan said it lost 23 soldiers; the Taliban said it lost nine.
A United Nations report this year found the Taliban provides “substantial logistical and operational support” to the TTP – a claim the Taliban denies. In the past year, the TTP has been involved in more than 600 attacks and clashes in Pakistan, according to ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), an independent conflict monitor.
Analysts said the Taliban’s military was far weaker than Pakistan’s, but it was unlikely to crack down on the TTP and may respond to the increased tensions by supporting more attacks by the group.
Mehmood Jan Babar, a Pakistani commentator, told Al Jazeera: “If the Kabul government chooses to take some action (against the TTP), they fear there could be a big revolt in their internal ranks.”
Spotlight: China bans online ‘pessimism’
Chinese authorities have begun a campaign to curb content on social media that is overly “negative” and pessimistic as the country faces a sluggish economy and growing concerns about youth unemployment
The two-month campaign was launched in September by China’s Cyberspace Administration, which said the aim is to “rectify negative emotions”. Authorities have been targeting “excessively pessimistic” and defeatist content, including posts by bloggers and influencers that suggest hard work or studying are “useless”.
The campaign is the latest in a series of annual “Clean Net” campaigns that have previously targeted disinformation and cyberbullying.
During the latest campaign, authorities have banned and suspended several popular influencers, including one who suggested that marrying and having children was not financially worthwhile and another who said life should involve less work and less pressure.
The official unemployment rate in China for ages 16 to 24 is 19 per cent, though the actual rate is believed to be higher. The rate is expected to increase as a record 12.2 million Chinese graduates are set to enter the jobs market this year.
Some young unemployed people in China have begun paying mock offices that allow them to pretend they are employed. Many use the mock offices to search for real jobs.
Shui Zhou, a 30-year-old who lives in the city of Dongguan, told BBC News that he and five “colleagues” had been paying to attend an office run by the Pretend To Work Company.
“It’s like we’re working together as a group,” he said.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 17, 2025 as "Trump–Xi meeting planned in bid to ‘work out’ trade war".
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