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US Space Force

Opinion | Whatever Trump claims, weaponisation of space makes losers of us all

It takes little imagination to realise a space war would inevitably escalate into all-out conflict, almost surely involving nuclear weapons.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | Saudi Arabia’s mBridge exit shows the limits of financial de-dollarisation

United States

Opinion | America’s foreign policy of coercion must end

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United States

As I see it | It’s the end of the world – and I don’t feel fine

Three authors warn that America’s techno-fascists are about to bring on the apocalypse for all of us.

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(From left) Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in the rotunda of the Capitol building in Washington on January 20, 2025. Photo: Reuters
(From left) Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in the rotunda of the Capitol building in Washington on January 20, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | In the US-China AI race, the real fight is keeping humans in control

A crisis hotline is a start, but the deeper task is setting clear boundaries between human authority and machine autonomy – while we still hold the reins.

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US-China relations

Opinion | The US-China relationship has stabilised but on Beijing’s terms

Managed rivalry is not peace; it is a rules-based pause with China largely writing the rules. The test is whether the US can live with it.

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US-China relations

Opinion | The porcupine dilemma: why US-China diplomacy is about distance, not deals

Xi and Trump’s latest summit shows the need for cooperation even as deep differences continue to shape ties between the two powers.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump concluded a three-day summit on Friday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump concluded a three-day summit on Friday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
US-China relations

As I see it | China and the US can make nice, if not peace

Outright enmity is too costly for both superpowers. Even without trust, shared interests leave room for pragmatic cooperation.

Asean

Opinion | In a US-China world, Asean must do more than avoid choosing sides

Following the uneasy truce at the Xi-Trump summit, Asean must go beyond passive hedging and forge middle-power partnerships to secure its autonomy.

China trade

Opinion | China’s industrial strengths must also benefit its trading partners

By shifting towards domestic consumption and exporting industrial know-how, Beijing can give global partners a genuine stake in its growth.

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The workshop of a wind power equipment maker at the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park in Qinzhou city, Guangxi autonomous region, on September 4. China’s partners must distinguish between genuine imbalances and the productive advantages that offer opportunities for cooperation. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Don’t let AI take over our human creative expression

The grand promise of AI has been inverted: while we continue doing the grunt work, AI is writing poetry and painting masterpieces.

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Visitors tour Dataland, the world’s first museum of AI arts, on June 16 in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images
Visitors tour Dataland, the world’s first museum of AI arts, on June 16 in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images
Banking & finance

Macroscope | Who has the upper hand in financial markets, the US or China?

Against the rising resilience of Chinese markets, the sharp reappraisal of US debt and dollar risks makes the answer far from clear-cut.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | Bad money decisions are coming home to roost for the US and Japan

For major economies that have relied on debt to maintain living standards since 2007, high inflation might be one way out.

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Taiwan

As I see it | Taiwan might as well give up now

If Washington can’t or won’t defend the island, Taipei has no choice but to settle with Beijing.

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A mannequin points a model gun from inside a bunker past Shihyu, towards the skyline of Xiamen, a coastal city in mainland China, in Lieyu, Kinmen, Taiwan, in 2021. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | Xi and Trump face their greatest challenge yet: building US-China trust

AI is the test case. A foundational agreement will prove trust is possible – otherwise, mistrust will harden and the detente will dissolve.

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Illustration: Rocio Marquez
Illustration: Rocio Marquez
North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Why Trump-Xi summit must put Korean peninsula back on the agenda

US and Chinese indifference risks reinforcing North Korea’s calculation that the world will settle for merely managing its nuclear threat.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Success of Xi-Trump summit lies in what happens afterwards

The real value of the Washington meeting between the presidents of the US and China is whether its understandings survive the next bilateral dispute.

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Pacific nations

Opinion | Pacific island states are trapped in Cold War 2.0

Geopolitically, it’s like a feudal hierarchy: small island nations as vassals, Australia and New Zealand as local lords and the US as king.

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A family photo during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, on September 2. Photo: AAP via Reuters
A family photo during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, on September 2. Photo: AAP via Reuters
China-North Korea relations

Opinion | New North Korea-Russia bridge delivers a powerful message to China

The Yalu bridge remains unused years after completion – a reminder that despite economic reliance on Beijing, Pyongyang still decides where to invest its political attention.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Middle powers don’t have to wait for a Trump-Xi-Putin summit

Rather than waiting for great powers to reshape the world, middle powers can find agency by deepening connections between hubs of cooperation.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | What China really means when it says it’s being ‘strategic’

Rather than geopolitical manoeuvring or calculation, this diplomatic label aims to convey seriousness, patience and a willingness to work for mutual long-term benefit.

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President Xi Jinping (right) pose for a photo alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Brics leaders at the Brics summit in New Delhi, India, on September 12. Photo: Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | AI doesn’t just answer questions – it legitimises bad ones

Readily available AI analysis can give weak ideas credibility they have not earned. Decision-makers need to get the question right before reviewing the answer.

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Prompts are worth practising as they make all the difference when using AI. Photo: dpa
Prompts are worth practising as they make all the difference when using AI. Photo: dpa
Chinese culture

Being Chinese | The unspoken reason my Chinese friends choose America

When friends say they can just ‘exist’ in the US, they mean they can stop performing to the Confucian expectations that define Chinese life.

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ICBMs

Opinion | Why cities have the responsibility to demand nuclear disarmament

As cities are the main targets of nuclear weapons, they have a responsibility to speak out and encourage efforts to eliminate them.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Who’s in control of Japanese monetary policy? Tokyo or Washington?

Bessent’s intervention could have adverse implications for Japan’s economy, the BOJ’s credibility and tech-heavy stock markets in Asia.

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The Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on June 15. Photo: Reuters
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