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Diplomacy

Diplomacy
Latest news, features and analysis on global diplomatic relations, with a focus on China’s international ties – especially with the US, its Asian neighbours and the European Union.
Open Questions series

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
People check a hospital that was hit by a military air strike in Mrauk-U in Myanmar. Photo: AP
Myanmar

Are Myanmar hospital air strikes a bid to ‘intimidate’ voters ahead of poll?

The junta has been emboldened to strike as China, Russia and the US are looking the other way to serve their own interests, analysts say.

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US-China trade war

Trump signs defence bill restricting investment in Chinese tech, military firms

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US-China relations

US arms deal supports Taiwan’s effort to reassure Trump on defence burden

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US-China trade war

China reportedly sticking to its soybean deal with US, but worries remain

Beijing secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. However, little has been shipped so far.

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China secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. Photo: The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS
US-China relations

US highlights Panama security ties as China-linked canal ports deal stalls

US envoy’s coastguard visit near Panama comes as Beijing presses for Cosco control and Washington pushes back.

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Ukraine war

Russia deploys nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile to Belarus amid Ukraine talks

Russian state media says it would take the weapon only 17 minutes to reach Nato headquarters in Brussels.

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Japan

Is Japan’s nuclear stance set to change under PM Takaichi?

Source close to PM Takaichi urges Japan to acquire nuclear arms; policy shift from pacifism may spark backlash at home and abroad.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks after an extraordinary parliamentary session on Wednesday. Photo: Kyodo
US-China relations

As Trump upends US foreign policy, analysts see fresh openings for China

After a turbulent year, experts expect continued disruption to reshape global influence, testing alliances and altering the balance of power.

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The Philippines

Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’

A US senator says the support for Manila and other allies reflects the threats posed by China and its partners in the ‘axis of aggressors’.

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China-EU relations

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

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The CRRC booth is seen in the advanced manufacturing section of the China International Supply Chain Expo in July. The train maker was probed by Brussels last month. Photo: Xinhua
Pandas

Video | Japan to be without pandas for first time in 50 years

While the twin pandas were born in Japan, they belong to China under a loan agreement and are set to return by February 2026.

Giant panda Lei Lei eats bamboo at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, a day after Japan announced the pandas will be returned to China in January 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Cambodia

Thai-Cambodia border dispute reignites with bombing claims of casino hub

Cambodia accuses Thailand of bombing Poipet amid escalating border disputes, prompting Asean emergency talks and global ceasefire appeals.

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Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

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Bangladesh

Bangladeshi politician’s threat targeting India’s northeast deepens row

His claim of Delhi’s election interference comes days after a leader of the 2024 uprising in Bangladesh was shot in Dhaka.

Hasnat Abdullah (centre), a leader of the National Citizen Party, speaking at a rally in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: EPA
United States

Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card, with his eyes on 2026 fight

In a White House speech, the president claimed economic and foreign policy wins while urging voters to back his agenda in the midterms.

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US President Donald addresses the nation from the diplomatic reception room at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AP
European Union

Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape

For now, both sides still need each other and there is nowhere else to turn. But behind this reliance, irritation and paranoia are rising.

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China-Japan relations

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland visitor numbers rose just 3% in November after flight cuts and travel warnings took effect as diplomatic strains escalated.

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Accidents and disasters in China

How will Jimmy Lai’s conviction affect China-UK ties, Starmer’s planned visit?

Outcome of ex-media tycoon’s Hong Kong trial poses stern test for Labour government’s balancing act with Beijing, observers say.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai in late January. Photo: EPA
United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

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Britain

‘Big step forward’: UK rejoins Erasmus exchange programme in post-Brexit reset

After a five-year absence, the UK returns to the EU study abroad scheme, with 100,000 people estimated to benefit in the first year alone.

Ukraine war

Trump administration readies new sanctions if Putin rejects peace deal

The new measures could arrive this week, targeting the tankers and traders fuelling Putin’s war as peace talks reach a critical stage.

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US President Donald Trump (right) reaches out to shake hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska in August. Photo: AFP
China trade

China bets big on copper processing, but ‘weaponisation’ risks are low: analysts

Beijing views copper as critical for EVs and AI, but a reliance on imported ore limits China’s ability to use the strategic metal as leverage.

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A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at a factory in China’s Jiangxi province in August. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Video | Indonesian minister dismisses Malaysian flood aid, sparking outrage

Tito Karnavian dismissed a US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared with Jakarta’s own disaster response, sparking online criticism.

China-Latin America relations

China seeks greater influence in US backyard

The US is trying to shut China out of Latin America, even as the Asian nation outlines plans to further grow trade and investment in the resource-rich region.

South Korea

South Korea reopens debate on lifting ban on North Korean media

Lawmakers move to ease North Korean web access. Supporters cite freedom of information, but critics fear propaganda risks.

North Korean students read coverage of Kim Jong-un’s Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, in Pyongyang, in February 2019. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Senior US and Chinese defence officials continue ‘military-to-military’ dialogue

Talks follow Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s meeting with China’s Minister of National Defence, Admiral Dong Jun, to help stabilise ties.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met Chinese Minister of National Defence , Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting Plus in Malaysia on October 31. Photo: X/Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
European Union

Opinion | As Doha Forum made clear, Europe is losing its seat at the table

Consumed by Ukraine, the EU has effectively retreated from global engagement. An urgent foreign policy recalibration is needed.

China-Latin America relations

Chile’s sharp shift to the right puts it at the centre of China-US rivalry

Election of Jose Antonio Kast in Latin American country adds to Donald Trump’s vocal allies but analysts expect China ties to stay stable.

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