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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

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

videocam
28
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the helipad being constructed at the White House in Washington on August 19. Trump inaugurated the helipad on Monday but major television networks kept their cameras away because CNN was not allowed to cover the event. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Trump inaugurates White House helipad but networks skip coverage over media ban

Trump has long said the new helipad would impress Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives on Wednesday for a state visit.

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Hong Kong politics

President Xi Jinping calls on China, US youth to advance bilateral cooperation

2026 Xi-Trump summits

First ladies step forward as Trump lays on rare honours for Xi

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US-China relations

Survey finds increasing number of Americans favour engagement with China

Beijing seen as less of a threat in Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey, although a partisan divide exists.

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US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet China’s President Xi Jinping in Washington this week. A new poll shows more Americans favour engagement with China over containment. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | Success of Trump-Xi 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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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Rising toll of US-China trade, tech curbs in focus ahead of summit

Impacts of reciprocal restrictions eroding profits, disrupting supply chains and intensifying market competition are back in the spotlight.

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China-EU relations

Open Questions | ‘Trade is never free’: former WTO chief Pascal Lamy on the EU’s China challenge

He says Chinese authorities’ lack of interest in addressing structural macroeconomic imbalance a ‘huge problem’ for European Union.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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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Donald Trump

Trump and Mamdani set to meet in New York

Meeting marks first sit-down on the mayor’s turf following series of cordial exchanges between political opposites.

Ukraine war

Ukraine’s Zelensky to meet Trump in New York

Planned meeting comes as Washington pushes for fresh, face-to-face peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky talking on the phone to US President Donald Trump on Sunday. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP
Greenland

UK’s Burnham congratulates Trump and Danish PM on Greenland deal

British prime minister praises deal to bolster Arctic defence after Trump threatened to take island by force.

A Danish Air Force EH101 Merlin helicopter comes in to land during Nato military exercise Arctic Shield 2026 in Narsarsuaq, Greenland. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix via AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

US announces AI dialogue with China, launches Board of Trade

Key outcomes released after eight-hour marathon meeting in New York.

Donald Trump

Trump says his big arch would be a ‘military complex’ with drones and snipers

US president claims massive monument will store ammunition as critics call national security framing a legal pretext.

Canada

Macron, Carney pledge closer ties in Atlantic island meeting amid US strains

Ottawa has been seeking closer ties with the European Union amid an increasingly acrimonious trade war with the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shake hands after their meeting in the French territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off Canada’s Atlantic coast on Sunday. Photo: Canadian Press via Zuma Press / dpa
China trade

China elevates Li Chenggang to nation’s top international trade role

Appointment comes as Vice-Premier He Lifeng leads a delegation to the US ahead of expected Xi-Trump meeting.

Li Chenggang speaks during a press conference in Beijing on July 18, 2025. Photo: AFP
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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Xi Jinping

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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Malaysia

Anwar was on song in India. Will Malaysia reap the rewards?

The Malaysian PM’s rendition of a Bollywood ballad went viral, but his India trip was about more than just the music.

A still from a social media video of Anwar Ibrahim singing in New Delhi while at the Brics summit. Photo: X/AnwarIbrahim
Mainland China

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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Middle East

Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital, after flames seen near Riyadh airport

The militants say they targeted ‘sensitive’ sites, along with an Aramco facility in the Red Sea city of Yanbu.

Taiwan

How will Beijing receive the most senior Taiwan official at Apec events this year?

Hung Sun-han will be the first cabinet-level official under William Lai Ching-te to travel to mainland China.

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Taiwanese Labour Minister Hung Sun-han is expected to travel to Nanjing on Sunday, becoming the first cabinet-level official under the William Lai Ching-te administration to visit mainland China. Photo: Handout
Vladimir Putin

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Far from being isolated, Moscow’s relationships across the non-Western world are a geopolitical constant the West cannot break.

Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while boarding a plane upon his departure from India on September 13. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
India

India’s Modi caught between Russian oil needs and US trade threats

Cutting Russian oil imports could avoid price rises ahead of key polls but keeping such purchases could cripple access to its largest market.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Trump signs bill targeting China’s Russia energy imports days before Xi’s US visit

US president gives backing to ‘Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ before next week’s Xi-Trump summit in Washington.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Trump says Xi state dinner is ‘a very tough ticket’ as guest list takes shape

US president says White House seats about 125 guests, while Chinese executives facing scrutiny in the US are considered for Xi’s delegation.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a healthcare event at the White House in Washington on Friday. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Exclusive | Word to the wise on organising a Chinese leader’s US visit

Ex-senior US intelligence official Dennis Wilder reflects on his experience of Hu Jintao’s 2006 White House visit ahead of Xi-Trump meeting.

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On April 20, 2006, Chinese and US leaders Hu Jintao and George W. Bush stand side by side during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

China hawks join forces in US Congress to pressure Trump ahead of Xi’s visit

Trump administration criticised for focusing on achieving economic gains from Beijing while neglecting political and human rights issues.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi-Trump summit preview: what are the best and worst scenarios?

Tariff cuts or a new 7.5 per cent duty on China? Possible outcomes on the cards as leaders navigate a trade truce and a widening tech schism.

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