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Belt and Road Initiative

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Belt and Road Initiative
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Chinese law firms have set up more than 200 offices overseas as they make inroads into the global market. Photo: Shutterstock
Law

Chinese law firms in ‘pivotal moment’ as they answer the call to go global

As geopolitical tensions mount, Beijing has pressed for legal professionals to protect overseas assets – especially in belt and road nations.

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Middle East

Opinion | Iran’s eastward pivot: why China is now Tehran’s strategic default

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China digital currency

Opinion | Amid dollar disappointment, China opens new front with e-CNY push

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Hong Kong has new path to prominence as a hub for public goods

The centre of gravity for global development and cooperation is shifting east, putting Hong Kong in a good position to harness the momentum.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China Railway

China to speed up bullet-train connectivity with neighbours

High-speed railways will be a cornerstone of China’s Belt and Road, creating key transport arteries to set international railway standards.

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Diplomacy

Editorial | US retreat from foreign aid highlights China’s steady outreach

China is not so much filling a void left by the US as having its long-standing commitment to scientific collaboration finally being noticed.

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Global South

Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

As Beijing promotes a multipolar world order based on empowered developing countries, New Delhi also views itself as a leader.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Diplomacy

Exclusive | Armenia looks to deepen ties with China for foreign policy beyond Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan says his country’s Crossroads of Peace and China’s belt and road project are interdependent.

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US-China relations

China boosts tech outreach to Global South as US collaboration dips: analysts

Washington is said to be missing out on ‘big’ opportunities while Beijing reaches agreements with ‘dozens and dozens of countries’.

Russia

Opinion | As attacks on Iran show, Russia can now do very little for its allies

Moscow’s credibility is sinking after it failed to stand up for allies in Iran, Syria and Armenia.

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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 20. Photo: Reuters
China-Middle East relations

Boom goes the deal? China’s Iran investments under fire, but Middle East beckons

Mideast is crucial to China’s belt and road plan, but amid the Iran-Israel war, a question resurfaces: how safe are Chinese assets there?

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China-Africa relations

Opinion | Why Egypt is welcoming China with open arms instead of the US

Beijing offers not only the expertise needed for economic growth but also an equal partnership – delivering results without imposing conditions.

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Banking & finance

‘Hotbed of opportunity’: Premier Li says China’s economy offers ‘certainty’

Chinese premier says Beijing will play bigger role in global development and calls on Asian infrastructure bank to address challenges.

War and conflict

Opinion | How an overstretched US could clear space for China’s global rise

As the US gambles on swift military might to advance its interests, China navigates a treacherous diplomatic landscape with hard choices.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-Africa relations

Tributes paid to hero Chinese doctor who drowned after saving woman in Tanzania

Foreign ministry in Beijing says Zhang Junqiao’s commitment and bravery embodied the spirit of Chinese medical teams in Africa.

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Zhang Junqiao is pictured while offering free medical consultations on Pemba Island, Tanzania, in December 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s partnership with Muslim world is redrawing global landscape

Once seen as unlikely partners, this axis is now grounded in respect, sovereignty and a shared aspiration for a post-Western world order.

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Central Asia

Opinion | Why China’s Central Asian footprint is about to get bigger

Boosted by proximity and broad policy objectives, Beijing is slowly gaining the upper hand in the region over Moscow and the European Union.

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Diplomacy

Macroscope | A retreating US opens door to wider Asian economic integration

Buffeted by Trump’s disruptive policies, Asia should seize the chance to reassert the need for regional integration as the US retreats.

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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Banff, Alberta, on June 17. Photo: dpa
Iran

Opinion | Israeli strikes one more challenge for new China-Iran rail corridor

Weeks before the air strikes, a new overland trade route was launched that could help Iran evade sanctions and advance its regional ambitions.

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China-Russia relations

China pushes regional finance bank as Russia pivots to Asia: analysts

Beijing’s bid to deepen Eurasian economic integration gains momentum as Western pressure forces Moscow to recalibrate, analysts say.

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US-China relations

EU in Latin America touts itself as ‘just’ partner amid US-China rivalry

Speaking in Brazil and aiming bloc’s message at Global South, senior envoy also extols shared agenda for green and digital transition.

Senior European Union official Brian Glynn (left) speaks at the Forte de Copacabana International Security Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday, as German lawmaker Roland Theis listens. Photo: SCMP
China-Africa relations

Egypt is replacing Cairo – and China is helping build the new capital

Chinese construction giant will build, operate and maintain Egypt’s newest city which will replace Cairo as the country’s capital.

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Egypt’s new capital city, known as the New Administrative Capital or New Cairo, is being built by a Chinese construction giant. Photo: Shutterstock
Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s education hub ambitions take centre stage in US, UK visits

University Grants Committee secretary general James Tang meets management and scholars from top-tier higher education institutions.

Solar energy

Solar power boom in Pakistan undercuts coal-fired plants built by China

Pakistani think tank says China can play a leading role in country’s energy transition, but Chinese expert not so sure.

Asia travel

Glimpse the old and new travelling the ancient Silk Road

A new book recounts the last leg of a 40,000km Silk Road odyssey, revealing the age-old sights and sounds of the Middle Kingdom.

During the days of the ancient Silk Road, caravans of Bactrian camels would have travelled through the Gobi Desert carrying goods intended for sale in distant markets to the west. Today, they carry tourists on desert tours. Photo: Christopher Wilton-Steer
China-Africa relations

US steps up contest with China in Africa by counting ambassadors’ business deals

New US commercial diplomacy strategy incorporates Trump administration’s ‘trade, not aid’ approach.

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Washington’s “trade, not aid” rhetoric marks a shift in US priorities in Africa, and looks to boost trade and investment as a counterweight to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Will Indonesia’s Whoosh extension to Surabaya be derailed by Chinese debt?

With the current US$7.3 billion rail line not projected to break even for 40 years, analysts are urging caution on an extension.

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Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong hits a high with global legal body, but now comes the hard part

Experts say more countries will sign up once word spreads about China-led mediation body that will act as ‘signpost’ to draw legal talent to city.

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