https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/265568/feed Breaking news and analysis on US-China relations, including trade war, talks, and tensions between Washington and Beijing. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Frank Chen Frank Chen China is becoming more confident and ambitious, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) executive director said, as the forum returns to the country for the third time in a quarter-century. Eduardo Pedrosa, the executive director of the Apec Secretariat, told the SCMP on Thursday that the forum would crucially bring together people and businesses from across the globe, though he noted that the limelight on meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. “There... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371919/not-g2-world-apec-chief-how-forum-has-changed-through-years https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371919/not-g2-world-apec-chief-how-forum-has-changed-through-years Sat, 24 Oct 2026 02:00:13 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and a former Australian prime minister, described US-China strategic competition as full-on and multidimensional at a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics event on Friday. “There is a full-blown strategic competition under way in every dimension of national political power and influence, militarily, economically, trade and investment and technology, in foreign policy, in ideology,” said Rudd, a noted China scholar. “It’s across the world,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371990/us-china-strategic-competition-keep-escalating-world-watches-rudd-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371990/us-china-strategic-competition-keep-escalating-world-watches-rudd-says Fri, 23 Oct 2026 22:29:03 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth Strategic competition between China and the US and its allies is intensifying across the Pacific islands, with both sides pursuing a growing range of security agreements to expand their influence, according to an interactive mapping tool released this week by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank. The tool details 56 security arrangements among 14 Pacific island countries and the US, Australia, New Zealand, mainland China and Taiwan in a bid to map... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371989/us-allies-and-china-vie-influence-through-pacific-security-deals https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371989/us-allies-and-china-vie-influence-through-pacific-security-deals Fri, 23 Oct 2026 22:27:23 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Beijing has “influence” over Moscow it should use to stop the war in Ukraine, and that a proposed summit meeting of the US, Chinese and Russian leaders must not lead to the division of his war-torn country. Speaking virtually at an event hosted by Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank, Zelensky said he did not know what would be discussed at the potential meeting between US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371987/zelensky-hopes-beijing-can-use-influence-over-moscow-help-stop-ukraine-war https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371987/zelensky-hopes-beijing-can-use-influence-over-moscow-help-stop-ukraine-war Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:51:17 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The Asia Society announced on Thursday that it had marked out territory on the Washington policy landscape with the purchase of a US$17.5 million building that will give it a permanent spot alongside other US capital think tanks dating back more than a century, striving for influence. The 70-year-old institution, founded by the grandson of oil mogul John D. Rockefeller, has focused more on public policy in recent years, in addition to its traditional focus on arts, culture and education, under... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371837/asia-society-announces-new-permanent-home-historic-washington-building https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371837/asia-society-announces-new-permanent-home-historic-washington-building Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:05:58 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth Global pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca on Thursday said it would start selling a cancer drug after coming under criticism for failing to bring it to the US market faster, prompting some Americans to fly to Shanghai to procure the potentially life-saving medicine first developed by China. In recent months, desperate Americans have travelled to China to obtain the Chinese-made cancer drug that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration but remained unavailable in the country for more than... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371835/china-made-cancer-drug-go-sale-us-after-americans-travel-buy-it https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371835/china-made-cancer-drug-go-sale-us-after-americans-travel-buy-it Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:56:45 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Diplomats from the EU’s 27 member states were pressured this week to lift sanctions on Yusha Group, a Chinese textiles manufacturer accused of selling sensitive European technology to Russian buyers. In exchange, Beijing has pledged that the company will refrain from shipping banned items to Russian military-linked buyers. It will also remove German company Sindlhauser Materials from its own export controls list, according to multiple sources familiar with the affair. The unusual quid pro quo –... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371832/eu-mulls-sanctions-reprieve-chinese-fabric-maker-accused-aiding-russia https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371832/eu-mulls-sanctions-reprieve-chinese-fabric-maker-accused-aiding-russia Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:32:36 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) has urged Beijing and Washington to push more negotiations down to working-level officials, saying businesses need greater long-term stability in bilateral ties than leader-level diplomacy alone can provide. Michael Hart, president of the chamber, said American businesses were encouraged by the unprecedented frequency of meetings between the presidents of China and the US, but warned that working-level officials had less... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3371746/us-china-ties-need-more-working-level-dialogues-not-just-summits-business-chamber https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3371746/us-china-ties-need-more-working-level-dialogues-not-just-summits-business-chamber Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China on Wednesday condemned an arrest warrant issued in the US state of Florida for former Cuban president Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes, accusing the United States of using the courts to pressure Havana. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning was asked about the warrant by the state-run Global Times at a regular briefing in Beijing. She referred to the 95-year-old as “comrade Raul Castro”, a “venerated” leader held in high international esteem. Mao said China opposed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371697/comrade-raul-beijing-defends-cubas-ex-leader-over-florida-murder-warrant https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371697/comrade-raul-beijing-defends-cubas-ex-leader-over-florida-murder-warrant Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:02:27 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Just two weeks before the US midterm elections, Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he did not believe America would maintain its lead over China in frontier AI indefinitely, describing restrictions on advanced chips as Washington’s key leverage. “I don’t believe for one second that we’re going to maintain a lead over Chinese frontier models forever. But we should for as long as we can,” said Himes at a Brookings Institution event in Washington. “And the one... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371692/top-democrat-says-chip-restrictions-are-key-lever-us-ai-edge-over-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371692/top-democrat-says-chip-restrictions-are-key-lever-us-ai-edge-over-china Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:36:57 +0000 Han Li,Zhang Tong Han Li,Zhang Tong Virginia Tech is accelerating the closure of a joint undergraduate programme with China’s Xidian University, bringing forward the end of a partnership that it had previously planned to keep running until 2029, according to a university spokesperson and a copy of an official letter reviewed by the South China Morning Post. This decision comes as the Pentagon’s push to tighten oversight of US universities’ research ties with China has led to more than 80 termination-related actions across 30... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371690/us-colleges-scale-back-cooperation-chinese-institutions-after-pentagons-push https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371690/us-colleges-scale-back-cooperation-chinese-institutions-after-pentagons-push Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:38:29 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang The director of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), Song Tao, has held a rare meeting with a delegation of US scholars, pledging to push for the peaceful development of cross-strait ties. During the meeting in Beijing on Tuesday with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) led by its president and CEO, Susan Elliott, Song spoke of a broader diplomatic context following summit meetings between Chinese and US leadership. “President Xi Jinping elaborated on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3371662/beijings-top-taiwan-official-meets-us-think-tank-reaffirm-red-lines https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3371662/beijings-top-taiwan-official-meets-us-think-tank-reaffirm-red-lines Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Junjie Wang Junjie Wang - https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3371645/chinas-third-quarter-gdp https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3371645/chinas-third-quarter-gdp Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:23:23 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) finance chiefs reached a consensus on economic policy coordination and cooperation on financing technology and artificial intelligence at a landmark two-day gathering in Hong Kong, according to China’s finance minister. Lan Foan said the outcomes achieved during the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting would help shape discussions at the leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next month. “China will work with all member economies to implement the important consensus... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3371628/apec-finance-ministers-reach-consensus-ai-digital-financing-hong-kong https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3371628/apec-finance-ministers-reach-consensus-ai-digital-financing-hong-kong Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:31 +0000 Ruairidh J. Brown Ruairidh J. Brown Getting relations with China right is widely seen as Britain’s epoch-defining challenge. It is also one it is woefully unprepared to face. So concluded a recent audit by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which highlighted that top negotiators lacked basic Chinese language skills. More critically, it exposed a deeper deficit: a poor grasp of China spanning political elites and the public alike. This is rooted in a desk-bound classroom sinology rather than a nuanced appreciation... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371392/burnhams-britain-can-learn-trump-engaging-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371392/burnhams-britain-can-learn-trump-engaging-china Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The commander of the US Eighth Army in South Korea said his troops must be ready for deployment outside the Korean peninsula if ordered, arguing that it would be “irresponsible” to focus “myopically” on threats there. Lieutenant General Joe Hilbert said that while his command’s focus was on fulfilling US commitments under its mutual defence treaty with Seoul, the Eighth Army’s location did not limit the missions it could undertake. It would be “irresponsible to focus myopically” on threats on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371562/us-troops-south-korea-must-be-ready-missions-beyond-peninsula-commander-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371562/us-troops-south-korea-must-be-ready-missions-beyond-peninsula-commander-says Tue, 20 Oct 2026 21:52:49 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday that the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would meet in the Philippine capital next month, marking the group’s first summit in more than two years, just days before US President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, China. “It’s been agreement now that we’re going to do it; we’re going to do it in Manila, at the Asean conference,” Rubio said in an interview with Indian news channel CNN-News18. “We don’t... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371558/first-quad-leaders-summit-after-two-years-manila-next-month-rubio-confirms https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371558/first-quad-leaders-summit-after-two-years-manila-next-month-rubio-confirms Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:13:44 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Zhang Tong Lucy Quaggin,Zhang Tong The United States is lulling itself into a “sense of false security” over its military rivalry with China, according to a Republican senator who called for more spending on modern warfare systems and closer cooperation with allies. Speaking at the Hudson Institute after a recent trip to Japan and South Korea, Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania senator and West Point graduate, claimed up to 90 per cent of US defence spending funded decades-old equipment and technologies. “We convince ourselves; we... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371555/china-close-matching-us-spending-new-way-war-republican-senator-warns https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371555/china-close-matching-us-spending-new-way-war-republican-senator-warns Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:12:30 +0000 Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan While US President Donald Trump has said he is open to sitting down with Chinese and Russian counterparts Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the Apec summit, it remains far from certain that the three leaders will actually meet in a few weeks. Observers said much would depend on whether the countries could agree on an agenda, with one expert describing this as a “critical lever”. Russia was set to gain most if the trilateral meeting took place, experts said, as the summit would be a potent symbol... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371544/will-xi-trump-putin-meet-apec-first-they-must-agree-agenda https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371544/will-xi-trump-putin-meet-apec-first-they-must-agree-agenda Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:07 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong The US State Department announced on Monday that it was imposing sweeping sanctions under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA) on five Chinese entities suspected of stealing trade secrets from American companies. The targets include Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, founded by former Google software engineer Ding Linwei, venture capital firm MiraclePlus and three related entities. Ding was convicted of seven counts of trade secret theft in January. A federal judge subsequently... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371434/us-sanctions-5-chinese-entities-over-ex-google-engineers-ai-trade-secrets-theft https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371434/us-sanctions-5-chinese-entities-over-ex-google-engineers-ai-trade-secrets-theft Mon, 19 Oct 2026 22:36:07 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth The US and China are racing to secure concrete investment deals ahead of their leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen next month, even as both sides engage in a contest over leverage in extending their broad trade agreement. Multiple sources told the South China Morning Post that intense negotiations would continue in coming weeks, with Washington and Beijing still facing hurdles to finalising a complex package of institutional frameworks and economic agreements. The sources, who spoke on condition of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371413/us-china-negotiators-race-nail-down-concrete-deals-shenzhen-apec-looms https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371413/us-china-negotiators-race-nail-down-concrete-deals-shenzhen-apec-looms Mon, 19 Oct 2026 22:00:06 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Citing national security concerns, the US government has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and any third-party services developed using the Chinese artificial intelligence model from their information systems. In a notice made public on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security also barred agencies from acquiring DeepSeek products and services, including those developed by affiliated entities. The notice said that using the company’s products “may result in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371431/us-orders-deepseek-removed-federal-systems-citing-national-security-risks https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371431/us-orders-deepseek-removed-federal-systems-citing-national-security-risks Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:49:10 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao In New York last month, US-China talks on artificial intelligence opened up a path of cooperation. This was affirmed by the Xi-Trump summit in Washington where both presidents agreed to establish a formal AI dialogue and hotline. With the next AI meeting set to happen in November, it is imperative that both countries further cooperation. The AI ecosystem is in flux. American tech companies are draining their coffers as they commit vast sums to chips, data centres and energy before the revenue... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370909/us-china-ai-talks-must-ensure-safety-both-tech-and-business https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370909/us-china-ai-talks-must-ensure-safety-both-tech-and-business Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Asian-Americans are laser-focused on the economy and healthcare costs and increasingly disenchanted with US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party leading into the highly consequential November 3 midterm elections, according to a survey released on Monday. While the general trend among Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) mirrors the broader US electorate, the minority community’s views are frequently more pronounced, seen in part because they have been the object of more raids,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/politics/article/3371430/asian-americans-trust-trump-fading-economic-woes-increase-survey-finds https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/politics/article/3371430/asian-americans-trust-trump-fading-economic-woes-increase-survey-finds Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:26:43 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was open to a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to China next month, with nuclear weapons on the agenda. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearisation,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before travelling to Kansas. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it.” Trump said the proposed meeting was his suggestion and linked it to his November... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371428/trump-says-hes-open-xi-putin-meeting-china-nuclear-talks https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371428/trump-says-hes-open-xi-putin-meeting-china-nuclear-talks Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:20:55 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Honduran migration officials have summoned or placed under review 41 Chinese nationals after inspecting shops in the capital and a hospital being built by a state-owned contractor from China in the south of the country. Teams from the National Migration Institute, working with police and intelligence officers, interviewed 86 Chinese citizens at 54 shops in Comayaguela, Tegucigalpa’s twin city and main commercial district, and told 25 of them to report for further document checks. Migration... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371425/honduras-targets-chinese-shops-and-state-builder-president-sits-taiwan-pledge https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371425/honduras-targets-chinese-shops-and-state-builder-president-sits-taiwan-pledge Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:43:05 +0000 Han Li Han Li The US State Department has added a “wrongful detention” warning to its travel advisory for China, alerting Americans to the risk of being detained arbitrarily under Chinese law. On Monday, the official China travel advisory added the “D” risk indicator for wrongful detention, while maintaining the country’s overall advisory level at Level 2, or “Exercise Increased Caution”. The advisory urges Americans travelling to mainland China to exercise caution due to the “arbitrary enforcement of local... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371422/us-adds-wrongful-detention-warning-americans-travelling-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371422/us-adds-wrongful-detention-warning-americans-travelling-china Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:16:04 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington wanted to compete for business in Central Asia without asking countries to stop working with China, as the United States and five regional governments outlined proposals to deepen cooperation on minerals, transport and technology. Speaking in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Rubio was asked what Washington could offer as Beijing expanded its presence in the region. “I mean, look, it’s competition, right? We have products, we have companies;... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371420/rubio-pitches-us-business-central-asia-says-china-ties-need-not-suffer https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371420/rubio-pitches-us-business-central-asia-says-china-ties-need-not-suffer Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:49:39 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma Washington and Beijing should put aside their mutual distrust to address the risks posed by artificial intelligence, much as the United States and Soviet Union cooperated on nuclear arms control during the Cold War, a former US Treasury secretary has urged. Robert Rubin, who served as US Treasury secretary under former president Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999, cited the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between Washington and Moscow decades ago as an example of two superpowers working... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3371382/us-china-should-learn-cold-war-era-arms-control-tackle-ai-risks-ex-us-official https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3371382/us-china-should-learn-cold-war-era-arms-control-tackle-ai-risks-ex-us-official Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China has been urged to learn from a Pentagon project to assess future warfare but warned to avoid the potential conflicts of interest and other shortcomings of the US defence review. Project Meridian, launched late last month, is designed to identify future battlefield requirements and prioritise investment, with a focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, directed energy, robotics and biotechnology. In an analysis published on Friday, the Beijing-based think tank Blue... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3371286/china-urged-copy-pentagons-hi-tech-warfare-project-without-us-conflicts-interest https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3371286/china-urged-copy-pentagons-hi-tech-warfare-project-without-us-conflicts-interest Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:00:15 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang Katie Zacharia may have lasted just five days as the White House press secretary but still managed to set off a diplomatic incident with China. In an interview with a conservative commentator on Thursday, Zacharia referred to China as a place that “doesn’t even have proper toilets”. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded a day later with a smile and a brief, pointed invitation. “We welcome her to visit China more often when she has the opportunity,” said Mao, a veteran... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371317/katie-zacharia-and-mao-ning-study-contrasts-us-and-china-media-strategies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371317/katie-zacharia-and-mao-ning-study-contrasts-us-and-china-media-strategies Sun, 18 Oct 2026 13:30:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Senior US commanders have highlighted the importance of land-based troops and equipment stationed in the Asia-Pacific in any conflict with China, countering assumptions that such a war would be fought mainly at sea and in the air. General Ron Clark, commander of US Army Pacific, said the “tyranny of distance” made it difficult to rely on air and naval forces during a panel discussion at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting this week. The comments reflect mounting concerns... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371267/how-land-power-could-help-us-forces-counter-china-indo-pacific https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3371267/how-land-power-could-help-us-forces-counter-china-indo-pacific Sun, 18 Oct 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran US President Donald Trump is expected to drive hard bargains on tariffs and critical minerals in his return to the Asean summit in Manila next month, with Washington seeking greater economic and strategic concessions while remaining hawkish on China. The Philippines confirmed on Wednesday that Trump would fly in for the summit from November 16 to 18, before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Shenzhen that same week. Trump’s second consecutive appearance at the forum... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3371132/trumps-second-asean-summit-presence-comes-price-region https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3371132/trumps-second-asean-summit-presence-comes-price-region Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Iris Deng,Vincent Chow Iris Deng,Vincent Chow China’s proposed export bans and controls of artificial intelligence technologies aim to tighten Beijing’s grip in the strategically vital sector, casting a cloud over the commercial prospects of domestic model developers in the global AI race, analysts say. The new measures come as concerns mount globally over the risks of advanced AI systems, following a string of recent cyberattacks, while also underscoring AI’s growing national security importance for both Beijing and Washington. Zhang Yi,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371247/chinas-proposed-ai-tech-export-bans-may-create-short-term-costs-long-term-gains-analysts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3371247/chinas-proposed-ai-tech-export-bans-may-create-short-term-costs-long-term-gains-analysts Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Sherry Wang Sherry Wang China has further reduced its holdings of US Treasuries to an 18-year low in August, as it continued to diversify its foreign exchange reserves amid rising geopolitical tensions and concerns over Washington’s fiscal outlook. China’s holdings fell to US$590.7 billion in August, down US$27.3 billion from US$618 billion in July, data released by the US Treasury Department showed on Friday. That marked the lowest total recorded since August 2008, when its holdings tumbled to US$573.7 billion,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371237/china-cuts-us-treasury-holdings-18-year-low-august-american-debt-fears-mount https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371237/china-cuts-us-treasury-holdings-18-year-low-august-american-debt-fears-mount Sat, 17 Oct 2026 06:00:17 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Beijing warned Brussels not to “fantasise” that taking a hard line will force it into concessions, as the bloc confirmed plans for a gung-ho new kill switch that will allow Brussels to “immediately” kick China out of the single market. Exactly a week after the two sides struck a surprise deal to restrict the volume of hybrid cars China ships to Europe, the flare-up suggests the threat of a trade war between two of the world’s three biggest economies has far from subsided. “The EU should not... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371217/china-warns-eu-not-fantasise-trade-approach-brussels-confirms-new-kill-switch https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371217/china-warns-eu-not-fantasise-trade-approach-brussels-confirms-new-kill-switch Fri, 16 Oct 2026 22:30:02 +0000 Han Li,Ling Xin,Zhang Tong Han Li,Ling Xin,Zhang Tong A US congressional committee has released details of investigations into dozens of researchers, many of them Chinese-American, revealing the scale of government scrutiny sweeping academia over alleged links to China. The documents – running to hundreds of pages – were released alongside a separate report by the House Select Committee on China. Titled “How to Stop China’s Theft of Taxpayer-Funded Research”, the report pushes back against arguments by universities and academic groups that tighter... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/science-technology/article/3371154/new-details-emerge-us-investigations-chinese-american-scientists-over-china-links https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/science-technology/article/3371154/new-details-emerge-us-investigations-chinese-american-scientists-over-china-links Fri, 16 Oct 2026 22:00:16 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Paraguay’s technology minister said on Thursday that sanctions imposed on him by Beijing over his country’s ties with Taiwan would only accelerate joint projects with the island. Gustavo Villate, who heads the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, wrote in a lengthy social media post that the relationship with Taipei would “never be on the negotiating table”. He also suggested that Beijing had acted to protect Chinese telecoms suppliers kept out of Paraguay’s networks. “This... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371214/paraguays-tech-minister-defies-beijing-sanctions-says-taiwan-ties-not-negotiation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371214/paraguays-tech-minister-defies-beijing-sanctions-says-taiwan-ties-not-negotiation Fri, 16 Oct 2026 21:43:02 +0000 Han Li Han Li As the US prepares to host the G20 summit in Miami in December, Americans’ views of participating countries vary, with China viewed more favourably than Russia, although both rank near the bottom, according to the latest Pew Research Centre report. Americans gave China an average rating of 37 out of 100, compared with 27 for Russia, Pew found in a report released on Friday. Canada, Australia, Japan and Italy received the warmest ratings, with average scores in the mid-to-high 60s. “Russia stands... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371213/americans-see-china-more-positively-russia-both-near-bottom-g20-pew-report https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371213/americans-see-china-more-positively-russia-both-near-bottom-g20-pew-report Fri, 16 Oct 2026 21:06:42 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Zhang Tong Lucy Quaggin,Zhang Tong A Republican lawmaker is requesting the Pentagon blacklist 58 Chinese universities and 62 technology labs as national security threats, a move Beijing calls Cold War-style overreach and critics warn could freeze US-China scientific collaboration and ultimately undermine American innovation itself. In a letter to US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar urged the Pentagon to add several prestigious Chinese institutions – some linked to Nvidia,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371212/china-pushes-back-us-lawmaker-seeks-blacklist-universities-and-tech-labs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371212/china-pushes-back-us-lawmaker-seeks-blacklist-universities-and-tech-labs Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:21:54 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Katie Zacharia was “let go” as White House press secretary on Friday, a White House official said, five days into a tenure dominated by questions over her claimed legal career in China, where she said she had passed a bar exam. Her exit came on the same day Beijing invited her to visit China more often, responding to her remark that the country “doesn’t even have proper toilets”. US President Donald Trump said he had urged her to reconsider the job but denied firing her. “I told her: ‘I think... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/politics/article/3371211/trump-casts-doubt-press-secretary-katie-zacharias-future-were-gonna-talk https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/politics/article/3371211/trump-casts-doubt-press-secretary-katie-zacharias-future-were-gonna-talk Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:08:49 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan China and America are talking again. There are leaders’ meetings, phone calls and a new channel for discussing artificial intelligence. Officials are cautiously trying to keep the relationship from veering into crisis. And yet some of the hardest questions remain untouched. Neither side is giving much ground on advanced chips, export controls remain a battlefield and neither Washington nor Beijing appears ready to slow its race to develop increasingly powerful AI. So what, exactly, does it mean... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371126/us-scholars-take-how-shifts-us-china-relations-are-felt-tsinghua-classroom https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371126/us-scholars-take-how-shifts-us-china-relations-are-felt-tsinghua-classroom Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:00:07 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang Beijing has invited White House press secretary Katie Zacharia to visit the country more often after she said in an interview that China “doesn’t even have proper toilets”. The newly appointed spokeswoman for the Trump administration made the controversial remarks in an interview on Thursday with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec, when talking about the perception around 2016 that “the gold days, the glory days of the US were over and China was on the horizon”. “I remember this very... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371184/china-invites-trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-visit-after-proper-toilets-slur https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371184/china-invites-trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-visit-after-proper-toilets-slur Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:53:29 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Solana, which operates one of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies, has cancelled a high-profile event in Shanghai at the last minute as local police appeared on site, according to social media posts, just a day after the firm touted the opening of a fancy new office in the city. Solana was slated to host its Solana Accelerate China event in Shanghai on Friday morning, part of a week-long event across major cities in mainland China. Shortly before the event kicked off, however, the company said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/cryptocurrency/article/3371083/china-has-banned-crypto-business-so-why-solana-opening-splashy-shanghai-office https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/cryptocurrency/article/3371083/china-has-banned-crypto-business-so-why-solana-opening-splashy-shanghai-office Fri, 16 Oct 2026 03:00:07 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The most consequential outcome of President Xi Jinping’s Washington visit might be his US counterpart Donald Trump’s unusually lavish welcome. It told Beijing, US allies and global markets that, however fierce the strategic rivalry, China’s importance makes sustained diplomatic engagement essential. The airport greeting, lavish banquet at the White House and flyover by military aircraft restored the appearance of a workable relationship between two powers. Even so, Beijing has learned not to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370935/pageantry-matters-us-china-summits-even-modest-results https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370935/pageantry-matters-us-china-summits-even-modest-results Fri, 16 Oct 2026 01:30:06 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth China said on Thursday that the recent government approval allowing American bank card payment giant Visa to operate in the country was the “direct outcome” of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States last month. “The Visa card was granted permission to establish a banking card clearing institution,” said Qiu Wenxing, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese embassy in Washington. “It is a direct outcome of the presidential summit.” Visa received administrative approval... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371067/visas-china-approval-direct-outcome-trump-xi-summit-beijing-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371067/visas-china-approval-direct-outcome-trump-xi-summit-beijing-says Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:53:21 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has acknowledged that she never passed a bar exam, days after telling reporters she had passed one “when I moved to China”. In an interview with the conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she sat the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 but did not pass. She said the results were “somewhat inconsequential, because I knew I... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3371066/white-house-press-secretary-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-claims-china-has-none https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3371066/white-house-press-secretary-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-claims-china-has-none Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:52:59 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US investigates 9 universities over alleged visa fraud, with focus on China The Trump administration launched an investigation into nine US universities over alleged J-1 visa fraud, with officials raising concerns about Chinese scholars and the Chinese government. Read the full story... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370921/blast-simulation-university-probes-robotics-fine-ai-spies-7-us-china-relations-reads https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370921/blast-simulation-university-probes-robotics-fine-ai-spies-7-us-china-relations-reads Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:00:05 +0000 Peter T. C. Chang Peter T. C. Chang When US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet again in Shenzhen next month, and then in Miami in December, the world will watch for signs of progress on trade, technology, security and other contentious issues. Such high-level diplomacy is indispensable. But the future of the US-China relationship also depends on something less visible: whether their people, especially the young, can still understand one another. As Washington and Beijing navigate intensifying strategic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370738/young-americans-are-key-us-better-understand-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370738/young-americans-are-key-us-better-understand-china Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The US wants to “compete” in resource-rich Central Asia, a senior American official has said as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to head to a region of growing Chinese influence. In New Delhi on Thursday, US ambassador to India Sergio Gor said this weekend’s C5+1 ministerial meeting between the five Central Asian countries and the US in Uzbekistan would be an opportunity to “showcase American ingenuity, American technology”. Rubio would be joined by representatives from more than 200... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371033/us-wants-compete-central-asia-ambassador-says-ahead-rubio-visit https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371033/us-wants-compete-central-asia-ambassador-says-ahead-rubio-visit Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:04:00 +0000