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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

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

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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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

‘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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Employees work with a robot at the Qingdao Humanoid Robot Data and Training Centre in Shandong province, on March 23. Photo: Xinhua
US-China tech war

Opinion | America builds AI, China uses it. That gap may decide the future

The US still leads in AI development but lags in large-scale deployment behind China, which is rapidly becoming the leader in implementation.

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China-Australia relations

China’s fight for Darwin Port could help fragile Sino-Australian relations

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US-China tech war

Opinion | How US tech hegemony is locking out the Global South

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China-Latin America relations

China consul in Tijuana warns against protectionism as USMCA review nears

Fu Xinrong pitched Beijing’s model of shared modernisation to Mexican business leaders, weeks before a contentious USMCA review.

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A top Chinese diplomat has called on Mexico and other USMCA nations to build economic ties based on sovereignty and mutual respect rather than tariff walls. Photo: Shutterstock
US, Israel war on Iran

US’ Bessent urges China to help open Strait of Hormuz

Treasury chief says Beijing’s energy buys fund ‘top sponsor of terrorism’, calls for action as US asserts ‘absolute control’ over waterway.

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

Iran war could give Xi the upper hand in meeting with Trump: US experts

The conflict is likely to give Beijing an edge in discussions on hi-tech supply chains and Taiwan, analysts argue.

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United States

‘Golden Dome’ defence, new space rivals: 7 US-China relations reads

From a bloated UN to ‘red carpet’ visas for Chinese spies, here are highlights from our correspondents in the second half of April 2026.

Posters for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield are displayed before an event with US President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in May 2025. Photo: AP
China technology

Exiting China market a ‘self-inflicted wound’ for US tech, think tank warns

ITIF argues that regional sales help finance domestic R&D and block local rivals, while warning that a full exit would be a self-inflicted wound to innovation leadership.

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US sanctions on China

China says to ignore US sanctions even as Trump visit nears

Beijing issued an unprecedented order to ignore US sanctions just ahead of presidential summit in Beijing.

China education

Why more mainland Chinese families are betting on Hong Kong universities

The city has overtaken the US to become the second most popular study-abroad destination for mainland students in 2026, a report finds.

Hong Kong will emerge as an “educational magnet” for mainland students, according to the authors of a blue book on education in the city. Photo: Elson Li
China trade

Opinion | China’s Manus block a show of strength ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Beijing’s manoeuvring highlights its resolve and suggests it feels it has the upper hand in negotiations ahead of Trump’s visit.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US sanctions on China

The US sanctioned Chinese oil refineries. Now China is really pushing back

Beijing has wheeled out its ‘Blocking Rules’ for the first time, ordering non-compliance with the American action.

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Mainland China

Letters | China’s stance on Iran war has strengthened its global position

Readers discuss how the world perceives China, and the work to be done to prevent rape.

Donald Trump

Can the US Democrats beat Trump by becoming more like him?

Fighting fire with fire may deliver electoral wins, but risks hurting the party’s brand eventually, Chinese academic argues.

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The Democrats’ populist strategy might deliver short-term gains, but it risks undermining the party’s core brand as a defender of institutional norms, Gao Hailong argues. Photo: EPA-EFE
China's ageing population

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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Arthur Kleinman, a founding father of modern medical anthropology, says retirees in China may face decades without a defined social purpose. Photo: Shutterstock
Asian diaspora

Being Chinese | 3 months in China became 10 years. Here’s why I stayed

My three-month China stint grew to 10 years, as predictability disappeared from my work around UK-China, EU-China and US-China relations.

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

China’s UN envoy blasts US ‘bullying’ as sanctions widen before Trump-Xi talks

Curbs tied to Iran and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the leaders’ planned Beijing summit as tensions between the powers mount.

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US-China trade war

US sanctions China-based operator, others over alleged Iran oil trade links

State Department targets Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal for allegedly importing ‘tens of millions of barrels of sanctioned Iranian crude oil’.

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Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on March 11. Photo: AP
China-Latin America relations

Beijing backs Cuba, Chile reveals smuggling ring: Latin America relations reads

From a smuggling ring in Chile to rare earth wrangling in Brazil, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in March 2026.

United States

Could Chinese mathematicians tip the balance in a US conference boycott?

Petition signed by 2,300 scholars from 80 countries urges ‘World Cup’ to be moved due to American policies towards foreign academics.

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Asian-Americans

Many Asian-Americans feel excluded from ‘true’ US identity, survey finds

Half of Americans link national identity to birthplace, but just 23 per cent of Asian-Americans agree, highlighting concerns over belonging and bias.

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A sign at an anti-racism rally. A new survey highlights the ongoing harassment faced by Asian-Americans. Photo: Getty Images
US-China trade war

From apps to autos: China’s data reach sparks US espionage and sabotage concerns

Washington accused of not doing enough to counter Beijing’s harvesting of key American data and weaponising it as a strategic asset.

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Chinese apps like DeepSeek have raised concerns about their potential to siphon sensitive data from American users. Photo: Reuters
Federal Communications Commission (US)

US telecoms agency votes to expand tech crackdown on China

The FCC advanced a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronics, including phones, cameras and computers, for use in the US.

2026 Trump-Xi summit

US and Chinese officials air concerns in build-up to Trump’s Beijing visit

Despite the latest diplomatic initiatives, Beijing warns the US is threatening ‘hard-won stability’ with new smartphone restrictions.

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Mainland China

China’s US experts falling short in the ‘great power game’, top scholar argues

Research must penetrate into the conflicts reshaping the United States and be driven by China’s national interests, academic writes.

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Academics should do more to influence policymaking and public opinion about the US, according to a former director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies. Photo: Shutterstock
South Africa

Minerals over ideology? US moves to break China’s rare earths grip

Washington under Trump is eager to secure alternative supplies, but Beijing’s dominance appears too strong to break soon, observers say.

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A front-end loader transports phosphogypsum in Phalaborwa, South Africa, site of a US-funded rare earths project. Photo: AP
Mainland China

Letters | University of Michigan must stand up for its Chinese scholars

Readers discuss cases involving researchers at a US university, and the International Olympic Committee’s gender testing requirement.

Florida

US lawmakers warn China is top space rival as race to the moon intensifies

Beijing is using space for ‘diplomacy and influence’, US lawmakers claim amid growing competition with Washington.

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