## Trump’s Trade War Is Strengthening China’s Soft Power

Authored by wired.com

But despite looming economic pain, China is not backing down or making concessions to Trump.

If anything, the government appears more defiant than ever, especially after some political narratives about the country’s manufacturing strength have started to shift in recent years.

In the long run, in fact, an escalating battle with the US could wind up being an opportunity for China to leverage its growing soft power.

“If the US is determined to fight a tariff and trade war, China’s response will continue to the end,” Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, said in a statement to WIRED.

The US previously justified its punitive trade measures against China by citing the country’s troubling human rights record and accusing it of repeatedly stealing American intellectual property.

The Trump administration’s alleged human rights abuses, meanwhile, are alarming civil liberties groups and observers around the world.

“America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs,” read one particularly popular hashtag coined by China’s state broadcaster. »

### Japan says it wants to join a NATO command for the support of Ukraine

Authored by apnews.com

After providing the war-torn country with defense equipment and support, Japan now wants to join NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, headquartered at a U.S. base in the German town of Wiesbaden.

Nakatani said Japan wants to further deepen security cooperation with NATO and that participation in the NSATU mission would help Tokyo learn lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Both Japan and NATO face many challenges and our security environment has become increasingly more severe,” Nakatani said. »

### National Park Service restores Harriet Tubman feature on webpage after criticism over removal

Authored by abcnews.go.com

A National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad has been restored to its original state months after it was changed to remove abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman from the top of the page.

"Changes to the Underground Railroad page on the National Park Service's website were made without approval from NPS leadership nor Department leadership.

"The removal of Harriet Tubman's image and quote from the National Park Service's 'Underground Railroad' webpage is concerning," civil rights attorney Ben Crump posted on X while Tubman was still scrubbed from the page. »

### The world order of the last few decades may be over — what emerges could include China

Authored by cbc.ca

Johnson, an American based in Shanghai, says Trump's recent actions will only "cement Chinese influence in supply chains in Asia and Africa.".

"There are partners in Asia that we can build deeper ties [with]" — but that doesn't include China, he said.

It could mean there's now more of an opportunity for China to play an even bigger role in the world. »

### Trump Says He Is Serious About Staying in Office Past 2028

Authored by theatlantic.com

President Donald Trump keeps getting asked about the possibility of seeking a third term in 2028.

It was not immediately clear how serious Trump was, or whether he was just savoring the flattery of being asked these questions again and again.

One can envision that, for any Republican, supporting Trump in 2028 will soon become a prerequisite for good standing. »

## In pictures

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