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Bracing for Trump tariffs, China’s Xi makes diplomatic push at global summits RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA: In his first global meetings since Donald Trump was reelected to lead the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping went on a diplomatic offensive, hedging against expected new tariffs and preparing to exploit potential future rifts between Washington and its allies. At meeting after meeting, from APEC in Peru to G20 in Brazil over the last week, Xi sought to draw a contrast with Trump’s ‘America First’ message, presenting himself as a predictable defender of the multilateral global trade order. Summit organisers, diplomats and negotiators also describe a noticeable shift from previous summits in a more constructive posture by Chinese diplomats, who were less focused on their narrow interests and more involved in building a broader consensus. The outreach is urgent for Beijing. While better prepared for another Trump White House -- with many tech companies far less reliant on US imports -- China is also more vulnerable after its economy was hit by a huge property crisis. Much of China’s attention has focused on the Global South, with state news agency Xinhua praising the G20 for including the African Union as one of the members. The voice of the Global South needed to be “not merely heard but also translated into tangible influence,” Xinhua said. During his G20 speech on Monday, Xi reiterated China’s position on “unilaterally opening our doors wider to the least developed countries,” touting China’s move to give all such countries “zero-tariff treatment for 100 per cent tariff lines”. By making such overtures, China wants to expand its leading position in parts of the developing world where the US has long lagged due to its inability to match the billion-dollar investments that China’s state-led economy has marshalled. “To position China as a defender of globalisation and a critic of protectionism, this calculated messaging comes at a time when many countries in the Global South fear the potential return of indiscriminate trade and tariff policies from the US, particularly under Trump’s influence,” said Sunny Cheung, associate fellow for China Studies at Jamestown Foundation, a think tank based in Washington DC. “Xi’s remarks aim to present China as a more stable and sensible and most importantly a reciprocal partner in contrast to perceived US unpredictability.” CONCILIATORY TONE Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60 per cent, and a Reuters poll of economists found they expected the US would impose tariffs of nearly 40 per cent, potentially slicing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy by up to 1 percentage point. Former Chinese diplomats privately acknowledge that developing countries won’t make up for that loss, but Xi has been betting heavily on the expansion of BRICS and mending fences with Asian neighbours, from India to Japan to Australia. European countries, also threatened by Trump with tariffs, sought to strike a conciliatory tone with Xi at the latest round of meetings. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin would work for a mediated solution to an EU-China dispute over Chinese electric vehicles as fast as possible during his meeting Xi. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer struck an upbeat tone in the first meeting between the countries’ two leaders since 2018, saying he would like to engage with Beijing on areas such as trade, the economy and climate, and have broader engagement on science, technology, health and education. Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based international relations scholar, said European allies of the US would not “embrace” China if Trump’s protectionist policies were aimed at them “but there would be more cooperation”. LIMITS OF OUTREACH Behind the scenes, diplomats said they also noted a change in China’s behaviour at these multinational gatherings, with Beijing officials getting involved in a wider set of issues.—Reuterscockfighting conditioning method 。

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Surprise! ‘No Good Deed’ Features All Your Fave Comedy StarsHunter Sallis poured in 31 points and Wake Forest needed most of those in a 67-57 home victory against Detroit Mercy on Saturday at Winston-Salem, N.C. Davin Cosby had 11 points as the Demon Deacons (6-1) won their second straight since their only loss, which came a week earlier at Xavier. But it wasn't easy as the visiting Titans (3-3) were persistent as they trimmed a 19-point deficit to nine points with plenty of time remaining (5:54). Orlando Lovejoy led the Titans with 15 points and TJ Nadeau had 13 points and nine rebounds off the Detroit Mercy bench despite shooting 1-for-8 on 3-pointers. Jared Lary added 10 points. Wake Forest doubled up the Titans in 3-point production by making 10 compared to Detroit Mercy's five. But the Demon Deacons took more than half of their attempts (61) from beyond the 3-point arc (35). As a result, they were just 9-for-13 on free throws. The Titans also held a 48-31 advantage in rebounding. Some of that might have been attributed to the absence of Wake Forest center Efton Reid III, who has been dealing with migraines. Detroit Mercy trailed 36-23 at halftime, but Wake Forest couldn't put the Titans away. Sallis shot 12-for-18 from the field and made five 3-point shots. He ended up two points shy of his career-high mark. Sallis came through with clutch shots, including a 3-pointer to go up by 12 with 4:59 left. Cosby had three 3-pointers before hitting his lone 2-point basket with 3:33 left to push the lead back to 14. The Titans shot only 5-for-19 on 3-pointers and they checked in at 33.3 percent overall from the field. Detroit Mercy was charged with 14 turnovers compared to only five for Wake Forest. Detroit Mercy was coming off Wednesday night's victory at Ball State. That outcome marked the team's first true road triumph since February 2023, but the Titans couldn't duplicate it. --Field Level Media

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquil Barrett is rejoining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs signed the two-time Super Bowl champion on Saturday, while also announcing safety Jordan Whitehead was activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers. Barrett spent five seasons with Tampa Bay from 2019 to 2023. He led the NFL with a franchise-record 19 1-2 sacks in his first year with the Bucs, then helped the team win its second Super Bowl title the following season. In all, Barrett started 70 games with Tampa Bay, amassing 45 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He was released last winter in a salary cap move, signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media before the start of training camp in July. Barrett, who also won a Super Bowl during a four-season stint with the Denver Broncos, decided to unretire last month. He signed with the Bucs after clearing waivers earlier in the week. Whitehead has missed the past four games with a pectoral injury. His return comes of the heels of the Bucs placing safety Christian Izien on IR with a pectoral injury. On Saturday, the Bucs also activated rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson from IR and elevated punter Jack Browning to the active roster from the practice squad. NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Fantasy football waiver wire Week 13 adds: Eight players to pick upVance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump’s most contentious picks