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US-China relations

US-China relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-China relations, including trade war, talks, and tensions between Washington and Beijing.
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

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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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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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a meeting in the White House in Washington on December 2. Photo: CNP/Abaca Press/TNS
US-China trade war

Editorial | Less hostility towards China in new US security strategy is welcome

The plan’s watering down of America’s antagonism towards China bodes well for both nations and the world.

Taiwan

Pentagon’s Taiwan war games reflect US anxiety over PLA power: defence experts

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United States

Are Trump loyalists struggling in US rural heartland ready to say ‘enough’?

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Scientists

US-based scientist Valery Fokin wins Vyzov Prize, beating fierce Chinese rivals

USC chemistry professor is awarded one of Russia’s top science honours, topping competition from 40 countries.

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Valery Fokin has been awarded the Vyzov Prize for his discovery of a “molecular snap” reaction that has become a widely used tool across scientific disciplines and has enabled the creation of DNA imaging technologies, diagnostic methods and clinical drugs. Photo: Vyzov Foundation
Taiwan

Opinion | Taiwan intervention may just spell the end of the West

Mutual economic destruction or worse for China and the West should be enough to deter everyone from internationalising the Taiwan question.

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Marco Rubio

Rubio swaps hawk for diplomat in year-end pivot on China

Top US envoy eschews ‘pacing threat’ label, stressing cooperation and Western hemisphere priorities for 2026.

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Donald Trump

US lawmakers want DeepSeek, Xiaomi added to list of China military-linked firms

Republicans want to add 19 more entities to the document that already includes tech giant Tencent Holdings and major ‍battery maker CATL.

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A letter, from US lawmakers asks for AI firm DeepSeek and other Chinese companies to be put on what is known as the Section 1260H list. Photo: Reuters
Guam

China’s rebuilding of Micronesian airport runway raises alarm in US

At least two Chinese companies appear to be involved in the Woleai project in the strategically important region.

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TikTok

TikTok seals US deal but core algorithm could still rattle ties with China

Compliance questions remain and Beijing’s approval for the spin-off is not guaranteed, observers say.

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Mainland China

China says US defence policy act hypes up threat, urges ‘rational’ view on ties

Foreign ministry says NDAA undermines sovereignty, development interests, as Taiwan Affairs Office slams ‘misguided signals’ to separatists.

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The latest National Defence Authorisation Act, signed into law by US President Donald Trump this week, comes amid a fragile US-China trade detente. Photo: EPA
TikTok

TikTok deal, China slowdown, Vanke debt deadline

This week: TikTok owner agrees sale of US operations, China’s retail sales growth unexpectedly cools, US approves Taiwan arms sales and Jimmy Lai is found guilty. Next week: China Vanke bondholders conclude debt-extension vote, Chinese lawmakers gather, Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes to market, and more.

Photo: Reuters
US-China tech war

China still targeting US-based researchers for ‘malign’ purposes, lawmakers told

Multiple US government agencies told a House committee that security concerns should not stop efforts to retain foreign-born researchers.

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US-China trade war

China cuts US Treasury holdings to lowest level since 2008

The stockpile has now fallen to nearly half its November 2013 peak, financial data shows, as long-term sell-off continues.

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Cambodia

China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill leadership void as US retreats

Experts pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order say nation can offer an ‘important alternative’ but it needs to improve its messaging.

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Beijing wants to fill the void as Washington steps back from its leadership role on the world stage under US President Donald Trump and his “America first” policy. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

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

Key provisions target contracts with Chinese biotech companies and outbound investment in technologies with military applications in China.

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US President Donald Trump signed an extensive defence bill on Thursday that restricts US investment in Chinese technology companies and military firms. Photo: TNS
Taiwan

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

Weapons package underpins Taipei’s move towards an asymmetric ‘porcupine’ strategy as Washington presses allies to do more.

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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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Mainland China

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

China not only forced a trade war backdown, it displayed its hi-tech military might from the waters off Australia to the skies near Japan.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Panama

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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Focus

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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Taiwan

Beijing condemns Washington’s landmark US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

US State Department approves massive deal that includes billions in Himars and howitzer equipment, drones and software.

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Army Tactical Missile Systems are on the Taiwanese military’s shopping list. Photo: AP
China exports

China confirms issuing of first general licences for rare earth exports

Beijing says it is now granting longer permits giving foreign companies easier access to vital minerals, but many details remain unclear.

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Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: Reuters
Science

Why US lawmakers killed a proposal targeting science efforts with China

US researchers and industry experts warn that even the revised version may have unintended consequences.

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China trade

China jails antimony smugglers in tough stance on critical minerals

Dozens convicted of illegally shipping 166 tonnes of the strategic material, marking a major enforcement of Beijing’s export controls.

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US-China decoupling

Open Questions | Yeo on how Trump wants to avoid Taiwan upending China relations

Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo says that Donald Trump is prioritising stable relations with China, and that the US is facing decline amid a shift to a multipolar world.

illustration by Lau Ka-kuen
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
China's military weapons

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

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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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