The annual U.S. deficit with Mexico would be the United States’ largest for the first time were it not for the surge of U.S. imports from China in January.

Unlike its Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union, Washington’s rivalry with Beijing is constrained by mutual dependence and the high costs of economic separation.

Demand for graphite, a key material in the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from phones to electric cars, is surging as trade tensions with China persist.

The report, produced each year by the Pentagon, warns Beijing is gearing up for conflict — potentially over Taiwan — within the next two years.

The world views of China and the U.S. have come into closer alignment in our current era. They go about the enactment of their policies in significantly different ways.

China is estimated to have more than 600 nuclear warheads, a figure the U.S. predicts will exceed 1,000 by the end of the decade.

In September, the Wall Street Journal cautioned that the U.S. could be ceding critical economic advantages to China, citing AI and energy demand as key factors. That warning was echoed by economists and environmentalists alike as China lapped the U.S. in scaling new, clean energy.

In November, China took a leading role at the thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, as it sought to deepen diplomatic ties with countries in the region. At the same

Japan ’s Cabinet on Friday approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming fiscal year, accelerating a military buildup that includes cruise missiles and unmanned systems as tensions rise with China.