Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and told him that the issue of Taiwan is the"biggest risk factor" in relations between Washington and Beijing, Chinese media has reported.
"The Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests and is the biggest risk factor in China-US relations," Wang said, according to The South China Morning Post, which cited China’s CCTV broadcaster.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Chinese Foreign Ministry photo)"The US side should honor its commitments, make the right choice, open up new avenues for China-US cooperation, and do its part to promote world peace," Wang added.
The call comes after Taiwan’s government announced it had signed contracts with the US for about $6.6 billion in arms, including a nearly $4 billion sale of HIMARS rocket systems.
The contracts are a partial fulfillment of a massive $11 billion weapons package that the Trump administration approved in December, a number that represents more arms deals than were approved during the entire Biden administration.
Taipei Times has noted that "The HIMARS can be equipped with either a pod of six 227mm rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of up to 300km (186 miles)."
China reacted strongly when the US approved the series of weapons deals, launching major military drills around Taiwan simulating a blockade. Beijing first launched such drills in August 2022 in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
Wang’s warning to Rubio reflects a position China has repeatedly stated to the US in recent years, that Taiwan is the first "red line" in US-China relations.
The two diplomats also discussed President Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for mid-May.
Wang said that the US and China "must safeguard the hard-won stability and make thorough preparations for the coming high-level engagements."
Tyler Durden Sat, 05/02/2026 - 08:10Goldman's Ferrari Residual Value Index shows that used Ferrari listing prices remained under pressure in April, down 3.4% year over year. However, analysts noted signs of "stabilization and partial improvements" after a weak second half of 2025.
One notable takeaway from analyst Christian Frenes: Ferrari hybrids are depreciating far faster than their petrol-powered counterparts, suggesting buyers still prefer V-8s and V-12s combustion-engine models. In other words, the used market is sending a very clear signal to Ferrari that its wealthy customer base is not sold on the hybrid era.
The chart below shows a clear divide in the Ferrari market: older, combustion models are holding their value much better than newer hybrid models.
The biggest winners versus the original retail price are:
812 GTS: up about 29.8%
F8 Spider: up about 25.5%
488 Spider: up about 15.7%
Ferrari Roma Spider: up about 14.3%
SF90 Spider: up about 2.8%
The laggards are mostly newer hybrid or less-favored models:
296 GTS: down about 1.4%
296 GTB: down about 7.0%
Ferrari Roma: down about 9.8%
Ferrari Portofino: down about 11.2%
SF90 Stradale: down about 12.2%
The next chart shows that values deteriorated across most model lines over the past year, even for models still trading at a premium to retail. The best-performing cars, like the 812 GTS and F8 Spider, have come off their highs but remain well above their original sticker prices. Meanwhile, hybrid models such as the 296 GTB/GTS and SF90 Stradale have slipped below their original retail prices.
The big takeaway from Goldman is that Ferrari's used-car market is stabilizing, but wealthy customers still prefer V8 and V12 combustion models and continue to shun new hybrids.
Professional subscribers can read the full GS Ferrari Tracker note at our new Marketdesk.ai portal
Tyler Durden Sat, 05/02/2026 - 07:35