The Democratic Republic of Congo is moving to treat geological data as a strategic national asset, a shift that could give Kinshasa far greater influence over the next generation of copper, cobalt, lithium, tantalum, gold and other critical-mineral discoveries.

The initiative may sound technical, but its implications are large. Whoever controls the best geological information can influence where exploration money goes, which deposits are developed, which investors gain an advantage and how future supply chains are built.

Global oil markets are entering a more fragile phase after more than six months of war in the Middle East, with traders, producers and buyers arriving in Singapore for one of the industry’s most important regional gatherings amid renewed fears of price spikes, shipping disruption and fuel shortages.

The Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference comes at a moment when crude markets are no longer merely reacting to headlines from the U.S.-Iran conflict. They are adjusting to the possibility that the conflict has permanently changed trade flows, pricing relationships and the balance of power between producers and consumers.

Iron ore has moved back above $100 a ton for the first time in seven weeks, but the rebound appears to be driven as much by trading mechanics as by a clear improvement in steel demand. Futures in Singapore rose to their highest intraday level since early July, supported by the unwinding of relative-value trades, expectations that Chinese mills will restock before the National Day holidays and elevated freight rates that are lifting delivered costs for raw materials.

The immediate catalyst was a reversal in positioning. Some traders had previously favored coking coal over iron ore, effectively betting that coal would outperform the steelmaking ore. That trade made sense while coking coal was rallying on supply tightness and iron ore remained capped by weak summer steel demand.

World food prices have climbed to their highest level since late 2022, signaling that global agricultural markets are again becoming more vulnerable to the combined effects of extreme weather, war disruption and trade insecurity. The rise is not yet a return to the panic levels reached after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but it shows that the risk premium in food commodities is rebuilding after a period of relative normalization.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index rose to 133.3 points in August, up from a revised 130.8 in July. That was the strongest reading since November 2022, although still almost 17 percent below the record reached in March 2022, when the shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent grain, vegetable oil and fertilizer markets into turmoil.

China’s crude-import restraint remains one of the most important forces shaping the global oil market. Seaborne arrivals rose slightly in August from July, but they remained almost 40 percent below the levels seen before the Iran war began. That means the world’s largest crude importer is still absorbing much of the adjustment caused by disrupted Middle Eastern supply, even as Asia faces increasingly tight conditions in refined fuels such as diesel and gasoline.

The August figures show only a modest recovery. China imported about 7.14 million barrels per day of crude by sea, compared with 6.93 million barrels per day in July, according to Kpler data. That increase was small relative to the collapse since the start of the conflict. In the three months before the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, China’s seaborne crude arrivals averaged 11.41 million barrels per day. August imports were therefore 4.27 million barrels per day below the prewar average.

South Korea’s reported plan to invest in a major gas-fired power project in Texas shows how energy infrastructure, artificial intelligence and trade diplomacy are becoming increasingly intertwined. The proposed project, valued at around $22.3 billion would mark Seoul’s first major U.S. investment under the trade agreement it reached with Washington last year. Its purpose would be to build a 6.3-gigawatt gas plant in Encinal, Texas, to supply electricity for rapidly expanding AI data centers.

The South Korean government has not confirmed the details. Its Industry Ministry said the reports were inaccurate and that negotiations with the United States are still continuing. It also stressed that any final announcement would come only after talks are completed and domestic procedures, including possible parliamentary approval, are taken into account.

The European Union is preparing to deepen its relationship with Greenland through a new investment package that reflects the Arctic’s growing strategic importance and Europe’s desire to reinforce Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty in the face of renewed pressure from Donald Trump.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Nuuk is therefore more than a development or climate-policy gesture. It is a geopolitical signal aimed at Washington, Beijing and Moscow, as well as at Greenland itself. Von der Leyen is expected to announce a substantial increase in EU investment in Greenland, with funding directed toward critical minerals, satellite communications, renewable energy and other strategic sectors.

Taiwan is using its dominance in advanced semiconductors to deepen political and economic ties with democratic partners, presenting itself as an indispensable and trustworthy supplier for the artificial intelligence era. At the SEMICON Taiwan trade show, Taiwanese officials and industry leaders framed the island’s chip sector not merely as a commercial success, but as a strategic asset rooted in democracy, rule of law and cooperation with like-minded economies.

The message was carefully calibrated. Taiwan wants the world to recognize that its semiconductor ecosystem is essential to AI, cloud computing, defense technology and advanced manufacturing. It also wants to show that it is willing to share the benefits of that strength through overseas investment and supply-chain partnerships. But it must do so without weakening the central role of Taiwan itself, especially as the United States and Europe press for more production on their own soil.