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    China’s Annual Trade Surplus Surpasses $1 Trillion on Strong Export Growth

    Asia
    China’s Annual Trade Surplus Surpasses Trillion on Strong Export Growth

    Chinese exports remained brisk throughout the year, pushing the nation’s annual trade surplus beyond the $1 trillion threshold. The milestone reflects the resilience of China’s external trade sector and underscores exports as a continued driver of economic activity amid a complex global environment.

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    The British Companies Linked to West Bank Settlements Secure £15m in UK Contracts Amid Sanctions Claims The United Kingdom awarded £14.4 million in new public contracts in September 2025 to firms with links to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite earlier government pledges to penalise companies that profit from such activities, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. These contracts were made public after the British government announced on 8 September new powers to sanction entities that profit from business with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are prohibited under international law. An analysis of procurement records, company filings, corporate disclosures and contract data supplied by the public‑sector market‑intelligence firm Tussell shows that businesses named by the United Nations for involvement in illegal settlements – including those they ultimately own or control as subsidiaries – have secured contracts across the UK public sector. Legal scholar Neve Gordon of Queen Mary University of London stated that the firms appear to breach their obligations under international humanitarian law, and warned that any UK company that is involved in the occupation is likely to be directly in breach of the sanctions regime introduced by Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ed Miliband. This follows an August Al Jazeera investigation that revealed at least 17 companies linked to illegal West Bank settlements had been awarded UK public‑sector contracts worth more than £2.1 billion. On 8 September, Miliband told the House of Commons that the government would take action against specific companies and individuals providing services such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate for settlement expansion, emphasising that those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements will face the full force of UK sanctions. Since the announcement, UK public bodies have published details of an additional 18 public contracts awarded to firms with links to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including projects in construction, infrastructure, financing and real‑estate. Former Labour Party leader and MP Jeremy Corbyn told Al Jazeera that Britain cannot credibly claim to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements while allowing contracts to proceed through the back door and that public money supporting potentially sanctioned firms is “outrageous and frankly insulting to the public”. The Cabinet Office responded that individual public authorities make case‑by‑case decisions on excluding suppliers and that public procurement should not be used to boycott settlement‑linked firms unless formal British sanctions or restrictions are in place. Heidelberg Materials Heidelberg Materials, a multinational building‑materials firm headquartered in Germany, is listed by the UN in its September 2026 settlement index update for commercial use of natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory. Three of its subsidiaries were named in 14 contracts worth £10.4 million, mainly for roadworks and resurfacing projects for National Highways and councils in Nottingham and Lincolnshire. The group has secured at least 35 UK contracts totalling roughly £194.7 million across five subsidiaries. Its Israeli subsidiary, Hanson Israel, owns the Nahal Raba quarry south of Qalqilya, on land belonging to the Palestinian villages of az‑Zawiya and Rafat. A planning proposal to expand the quarry was approved in May 2025, as reported by Who Profits, which Heidelberg did not dispute. Motorola Solutions Two contracts worth approximately £87,900 were awarded to Motorola Solutions and its UK subsidiary Airwave Solutions to provide communications for the police service. Motorola Solutions remains the largest single purchaser, with about £1.7 billion in contracts—mostly through Airwave—including a £2.13 billion extension for the secure communications network used by police, fire and ambulance services across England, Scotland and Wales. The company is listed by the UN for settlement‑related activities, including the provision of security equipment and services used by authorities in the occupied West Bank. Fosun Chinese conglomerate Fosun International is identified by the UN under the category covering the commercial use of natural resources, particularly water and land. Its connection to the occupied West Bank centres on the Israeli cosmetics maker Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories. In the UK, Breas Medical—owned through Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical—secured a contract worth £98,000 with Hull hospitals, bringing the group’s total public‑sector award to at least £1.3 million. Egis French engineering group Egis is linked via transport infrastructure that supports illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, as recorded by the UN. Egis formally expressed disagreement with this inclusion in the UN database. A new contract worth £84,000 was awarded to Thomas & Adamson International Limited, a subsidiary of Egis, raising the group’s total public contracts to more than £179 million.

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