Commodities

Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings is helping coffee farmers in Vietnam obtain a sustainability certification from an international NGO. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Food & Beverage

Kirin helps Vietnam coffee farms get sustainability certification

Japanese beverage maker eyes stable supplies from world's No. 2 producer

22 May 2021
Chinese steelmakers are calling out for iron ore to sustain record high output levels amid orders to support infrastructure development and manufacturing.
Commodities

Australian iron ore miners shine despite China's fury

Confluence of favorable supply and demand factors unlikely to last

19 May 2021
The open-pit mine of  Freeport's Grasberg copper and gold mine complex in Indonesia.
Commodities

Indonesia says still in China talks for Freeport copper smelters

Tsingshan negotiations near new deadline after recently starting with Enfi

10 May 2021
A tanker docks at the Port of Qingdao in China. Crude prices have more than doubled from a year ago, boosting Chinese imports by value.
Trade

China's import surge exposes dependence on pricey overseas resources

April imports jumped 43% in dollars, even as iron ore and soy volumes stayed roughly flat

8 May 2021
The government-set dental treatment fees have failed to keep up with the rising prices of palladium used in dental fillings. 
Commodities

Japan's very precious 'silver' teeth bite into dentist profits

Demand for use in catalytic converters drives up palladium price

8 May 2021
Posco is one of the world's largest steelmakers, but due to competition from Chinese rivals and growing calls for it to fight global warming, the South Korean company is looking diversify.
Commodities

South Korean steel titan Posco charges into EV batteries

Investments for top-to-bottom supply chain highlight risky push to diversify

6 May 2021
Olam CEO Sunny Verghese speaks to Nikkei Asia in Singapore. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Interview

Singapore agri trader Olam feels impact from India's COVID upsurge

Company to close Myanmar wood business as planned prior to coup, CEO says

3 May 2021
U.S. ports are grappling with logjams due to insufficient handling capacity amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Markets

Ever Given's Suez Canal blockage still disrupting global shipping

High sea freight rates and traffic jams force exporters to try air, rail routes

2 May 2021
Cotton from Xinjiang has fallen out of favor as consumers voice concerns about forced labor.
Commodities

Xinjiang cotton and Myanmar jade show human rights pressure on commodities

Ethical consumption trend weighs on demand for exports from troubled regions

2 May 2021
Olam already supplies ingredients like dried onion, garlic and tropical seeds that were produced in India, Vietnam and China to Olde Thompson. (Photo is a screenshot from Olde Thompson's website spliced with a Reuters photo) 
Business deals

Singapore's Olam buys US spice producer Olde Thompson for $950m

Deal completes supply chain for commodities trader as demand grows amid pandemic

29 April 2021
China's local governments are targeting the steel industry to reduce CO2 emissions. 
Climate Change

Chinese steelmakers fall prey to Beijing's climate target

Local officials order steelworks shutdowns to please central government

24 April 2021
A worker at a nickel processing plant: Indonesia has banned the export of nickel ore to encourage companies to process the metal domestically instead.
Commodities

Nickel-rich Indonesia draws global suppliers of EV battery materials

BASF and Sumitomo Metal Mining tap world's largest reserves amid ore export ban

23 April 2021
Total's Yadana gas field, pictured in December 2016: the French major has resisted calls to cease operations. (Handout photo from Total)
Opinion

World's oil and gas majors cannot be expected to save Myanmar

Governments must step in with coordinated response to junta

22 April 2021
Ansteel, China's No. 4 steelmaker, aims to expand its crude steel production capacity to 70 million tons per year.
Business deals

China's Ansteel and Ben Gang eye deal to create world No. 3 steelmaker

State pressure to prune crowded industry revives talk of long-shelved megamerger

20 April 2021
Japan is planning to invest more in the exploration of rare earth metals, a move that could ease the  financial burden on the private sector.
Commodities

Japan to boost public funding for rare earth exploration

Move is aimed at securing key resource supply amid EV shift

12 April 2021
Rusal's plant, which produces aluminum products in East Siberia. (Photo courtesy of Rusal)
Environment

Rusal aims for more sales of low-carbon aluminum in Asia

Russian producer plans to use decarbonization push to grab market share

11 April 2021
Shipping containers, like these shown at a port in Ho Chi Minh City, are in short supply in Vietnam.
Trade

ASEAN share of US-bound container shipping reaches 20%

Growth, driven by furniture and electric equipment, reflect shift from China

11 April 2021
Fortescue is looking to Tasmania to produce green hydrogen. The island state last year became fully powered by renewable energy.
Environment

Iron ore giant Fortescue bets on green hydrogen in zero-carbon push

Aussie mining company to ease dependence on China and cultivate Japanese market

10 April 2021
Voters waiting to cast their ballot during the parliamentary election outside the Inussivik arena in Nuuk, Greenland on Tuesday. Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/via Reuters
Commodities

Greenland says no to China-backed rare-earth mine in election

Party opposed to Kvanefjeld project wins, denting Beijing's ambitions

8 April 2021
The Ever Given container ship wedged in the Suez Canal on March 26. 
Transportation

Suez Canal blockage underscores a serious risk for supply chains

Container ships grow in size and become potential obstacles in trade arteries

4 April 2021
The freighter Shinas Max carrying 400,000 tons of iron ore is berthed at Zhoushan Port in China's Zhejiang Province. China currently relies on Australia for more than 60% of its iron ore imports.
Commodities

China determined to build iron ore hub in Africa as Australia goes Quad

World's largest untapped reserve in Guinea could be online by 2025, expert says

31 March 2021
China continues to import Australian iron ore as part of its economic recovery push even as it imposes tariffs and other curbs on other Australian products.
Trade

Despite China feud, Australia resource exports to hit record by value

Soaring iron ore prices make up for friction in bilateral trade

30 March 2021
Daniel Yergin, pictured in 2018. He says China's climate push is backed by a desire to maintain its edge in the global market for electric vehicles and reducing its oil imports.
Climate Change

Daniel Yergin: China has strategic calculation on zero emissions

Beijing's concerns are climate change, urban pollution and rising oil imports

29 March 2021
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov arrives for the Japanese emperor's enthronement in 2019: His succession plans are stirring speculation as his son rises through the ranks.
Politics

Is Turkmenistan's secretive presidency becoming a family affair?

Son of Berdymukhamedov 'the protector' rises amid political and economic changes

27 March 2021
The satellite image shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, on March 25.
Transportation

Owner of stranded Suez Canal ship aims to free vessel on Saturday

Companies weigh alternative routes, including the Arctic

26 March 2021