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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

Scott Kennedy on China’s ‘slow tech dragon’ and 2 more Xi-Trump meetings

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

Scott Kennedy on China’s ‘slow tech dragon’ and 2 more Xi-Trump meetings

videocam
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Flags of China and the US adorn a car in the motorcade of US President Donald Trump as he visits the National Archives Museum with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 25, 2026, in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

US firms in China return focus to local rivals as bilateral ties mend

As relationship stabilises, bilateral ties drop to second place among concerns of US companies, according to business chambers.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

China resuming US coal imports among thin list of summit outcomes

Donald Trump

US, China slash tariffs on basic goods – but leave rare earths off the record

Hong Kong economy

China-US dialogue will ease concerns, but competition will remain: Paul Chan

Hong Kong’s finance chief gives a wide-ranging interview on geopolitics, the coming Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting and more.

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Finance chief Paul Chan has said that the central government is looking to elevate the city’s profile as a global financial centre. Photo: Dickson Lee
President Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan (left) were taken on a tour of the National Archives in Washington by US President Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump (right). Photo: EPA
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Editorial | Xi-Trump summit built muscle for US-China cooperation

The meeting was never going to clear every hurdle, but it set the tone for further relations on the basis of mutual respect and benefit.

Open Questions series

Open Questions | Scott Kennedy on China’s ‘slow tech dragon’ and 2 more Xi-Trump meetings

American adviser on Chinese business and economics highlights different phases of US-China relations over the past 50 years.

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Xi Jinping

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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Illustration: Dennis Yip
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Open Questions | Scott Kennedy on the Xi-Trump summit and US-China instability

Washington think-tanker considers the outcome of the White House meeting, the future of bilateral ties and three ways China’s economic model will be forced to change.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang touch down in the US under new loan deal

Chinese vets and keepers are on hand in Atlanta to help the animals settle into their new home at the city’s zoo.

Russia

Keep out: why Greenland is the US military’s new eyes in the Arctic on China

Defence pact said to be aimed at Beijing and Moscow allows US to build two bases and calls for ‘stronger Nato engagement in the Arctic’.

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A defence pact between the United States, Denmark and Greenland allows the US to expand and modernise its Pituffik Space Force Base. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

From body language to ping-pong, decoding the symbolism during Xi-Trump meeting

Even small details and gestures during Xi and Trump’s summit in Washington were rife with meaning.

(From left) China’s First lady Peng Liyuan, China’s President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump pose on the North Portico steps of the White House on September 24, 2026. Photo: AFP
Rare earths

How sacred Kenyan hill became US-China minerals battleground

American and Chinese bidders are vying for rights to develop a sacred Kenyan forest rich in rare earths and niobium.

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Mainland China

Why Xi Jinping skipped the UN after his Trump summit

China touts multilateralism and growing soft power even as Beijing gives greater weight to its relationship with Washington.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Beijing says US, China to pursue military crisis-communication pact

Chinese account says militaries will conclude a memorandum ‘as soon as possible’, but Washington has not publicly confirmed it.

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The USS Makin Island and USS Chung-Hoon conduct replenishment-at-sea operations in the South China Sea. Photo: US Navy
Mainland China

Why US chip controls took a back seat at the Xi-Trump summit

China’s growing semiconductor self-reliance may explain the relative calm, but looming US measures could put it to the test.

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AMD chief Lisa Su (left), her husband Daniel Lin, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, his wife Lori Huang and Apple's former chief Tim Cook attend a White House state dinner on Thursday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | China-based Brics bank set for hunger alliance lead role this year, Brazil says

Brazilian minister Wellington Dias tells SCMP a fund to cut borrowing costs for the poor may launch by December as US marginalises the G20.

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Greenland

Why US deal on Greenland may narrow China’s Arctic space

New security accord could make western Arctic states warier of working with China and draw Beijing closer to Moscow, Chinese observers say.

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Hong Kong economy

Xi-Trump summit: Hong Kong’s Paul Chan predicts positive market response

Local business representatives expect that greater stability in bilateral ties may reinforce the city’s role as a connector between markets.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump have wrapped up a summit in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

China’s first lady Peng Liyuan shines during Xi-Trump summit: what you missed

From projecting soft power to her English capturing attention, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting on Peng Liyuan.

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Rare earths

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

The real question for rare earth exporters is how to turn global mineral competition into higher-value industries.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi-Trump atmospherics welcomed but mask structural rifts: analysts

That two economic and military giants are talking – and pledging to talk some more – suggests some period of relative stability with caveats.

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US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to a state dinner in the East Room of the White House on Thursday in Washington. Photo: Getty Images
Donald Trump

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
2026 Xi-Trump summits

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.

China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | China set to decide if Costa Rican or Guyanese becomes first woman UN chief

Rebeca Grynspan and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett lead a split Security Council as Beijing rules out Argentina's Rafael Grossi.

4
2026 Xi-Trump summits

What summit? US TV blackout and midterms turmoil overshadow red-carpet treatment

Xi Jinping’s arrival was not covered by major American networks in protest over Donald Trump’s ban on three news groups.

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US White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez reports for MS Now near the White House, after reporters from CNN, Politico and MS Now were barred from the White House on Thursday despite a judge’s order calling for access to be restored immediately. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi ends Trump visit with vow to meet again in China this year – as it happened

Chinese president’s three-day visit ends with plans for two more face-to-face talks with Trump this year.

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands alongside US first lady Melania Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan, at the National in Washington on Friday. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Trump hails WWII ‘ally’ China as Xi tells of bonds ‘forged in blood and fire’

Both leaders repeatedly refer to joint fight against Japan in highlighting history of cooperation and need for common ground.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi presses Trump to take the next step on Taiwan: oppose independence

The change would mean a shift in Washington’s long-standing position and affect American arms sales to the island, according to analysts.

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