Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to bolster ties with Asia to counter Beijing’s power, but President Trump’s tariff threats have nations asking why they should align with Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers.

From anxiety gripping China’s workforce to Trump slapping a 35 per cent tariff on Canada, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

China has been a fierce critic of sweeping U.S. tariffs that Trump announced on April 2. He later delayed the implementation of most but China, which has said it will respond with its own tariffs on U.S. imports, now faces a deadline next month to negotiate a deal.