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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first member of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet to win Senate confirmation. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Rubio tells Wang US does not back Taiwan independence: Chinese foreign ministry

Phone call reportedly made at Rubio’s request included top China diplomat’s assurance that Beijing does not seek to ‘surpass or replace’ US.

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US-China relations

New pandas from China make their debut at National Zoo in Washington

United States

Opinion | If Trump has his way with Maga, it’s back to the law of the jungle

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Indonesia

Will Bali bombing suspect Hambali be set free after 18 years in prison?

Minister says Hambali remains ‘an Indonesian citizen’ and the country ‘must care for him’, but analysts warn any potential release is fraught with issues.

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Wreckage of the Sari nightclub and surrounding buildings on October 15, 2002 in Kuta, Bali. More than 200 people were killed in the blast on the Indonesian island. Photo: AP
India

Bollywood star’s stabbing reignites India-Bangladesh border security debate

Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing has sparked political blame, with the ruling BJP accusing the AAP of illegal immigration and the AAP criticising the government’s border security.

Indonesia

Uproar, rejection in Indonesia over report of US plan to relocate Palestinians

Report of relocation plan by unnamed Trump official sparks backlash in Indonesia as it cites concerns about sovereignty of Palestinians.

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Banking & finance

AIIB president calls for ‘fundamental reforms’ to global institutions

Head of Beijing-based multilateral development bank says current global governance structure fails to incorporate emerging economies.

Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, says current global governance structures are insufficient to represent the needs of emerging economies. Photo: Nora Tam
France

Indonesia, France agree to repatriate French death row convict

Serge Atlaoui, 61, said to be suffering from cancer, was arrested in 2005 and due to be executed in 2015, when he was granted a reprieve.

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The Philippines

Philippines deploys ‘surface action groups’ to counter Beijing in South China Sea

Experts, however, warn that Manila’s strategy of having several warships patrolling at once could strain resources and leave the navy vulnerable to targeted attacks.

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North Korea

Trump wants to reconnect with ‘smart guy’ Kim for North Korea talks

The US president expressed willingness to reach out to the North Korean leader despite lack of progress on denuclearisation.

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Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) at the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Panmunjom in 2019. Photo: Reuters
World Economic Forum

Trump tells Davos he wants Xi to help stop Ukraine war – as it happened

The returning US leader also wants more money from Nato members, threatened Canada tariffs and talked about the AI race with China.

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Trump is shown on screens as he addresses the WEF via remote connection. Photo: EPA-EFE
India

India’s bet on AI-enabled warships needs boost to counter China, experts say

While India’s first AI-enabled warship enhances its capabilities in the Indian Ocean, experts warn that more vessels are needed to counter China’s growing presence.

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US-China relations

What does China have to do with Marco Rubio’s trip to Latin America?

The new US secretary of state is departing from recent precedent by not making Asia his first overseas destination.

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The Philippines

Rubio says US committed to Philippines but could Trump change course?

Observers welcome Rubio’s statements that they say indicate continuity in US policy and ‘more robust support’ for Manila in South China Sea row.

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US and Philippine Marines fire Howitzer artillery during a live-fire exercise as part of the joint US-Philippines annual military Balikatan drills in Laoag on Luzon island’s northwest coast in May 2024. Photo: AFP
China-Middle East relations

At Davos, Saudi Arabia pitches itself as a new hub for Chinese investment

Saudi minister urges China ‘not to miss opportunities’ to invest in the Gulf state – and exploit its access to different markets.

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Saudi Arabia could become a new export hub for Chinese products. Photo: Xinhua
China-EU relations

High-level EU-China talks to resume as diplomats prepare to meet in Munich

Kaja Kallas, who recently assumed the EU’s top diplomatic post, and Wang Yi will sit down next month.

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Japan

Japanese mum hopes Trump will get Kim to release her daughter after 48 years

The family of Megumi Yokota, who was 13 when she was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, met the US president previously in Tokyo.

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US-China relations

Rising US-China tensions top concerns of American firms in China: AmCham China

AmCham China survey, conducted in weeks before and after Trump’s election, finds concerns over deteriorating relations have not been this high since Trump’s first term.

Escalating bilateral tensions have intensified the reluctance of US companies to invest in China. Photo: AP
China economy

China vows to protect overseas interests as hurdles and uncertainties mount

Ministry of Commerce says commerce authorities at all levels must bolster risk controls and safeguard overseas interests.

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Donald Trump

Pentagon orders 1,500 extra troops to secure US-Mexico border

Border security is a key priority for the US president, who declared a national emergency on his first day in office.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Thailand assures Hongkongers over safety amid forced labour scams

Thai consulate in Hong Kong says country is working with neighbouring countries to clamp down on scam farms.

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A view of Myanmar’s Myawaddy, along the border with Thailand. The area is home to some of the notorious scam centres. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Trump’s America first trade policy: US-China 2020 deal is again under scrutiny

Nomura analysts say Trump’s ‘rather hawkish’ memo on China raises concerns that Beijing will be forced to comply with original trade terms that it failed to meet.

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US President Donald Trump and former Chinese vice-premier Liu He shake hands after signing the phase-one trade deal at the White House in 2020. A review of the deal during Trump’s second term may put pressure on China to fulfil its missed requirements. Photo: Reuters
Vietnam

‘I can play golf all day long’: Vietnam confident of its US ties under Trump

‘We think we can handle it,’ Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said of Vietnam’s US ties at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Myanmar

‘No chance’: in Myanmar, Asean’s pleas for peace fall on deaf ears

Despite Asean’s call to prioritise peace over a sham election, Myanmar’s military rulers appear bent on clinging to power no matter the cost.

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North Korea

‘He’s a nuclear power’: Donald Trump’s North Korea remarks upend US doctrine

Donald Trump’s convention-busting acknowledgement of North Korea as a nuclear power bucks years of US policy – and sets South Korea on edge.

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of their historic first summit in Singapore in 2018. Photo: AFP
Japan

In Trump 2.0, Japan faces a familiar uncertainty

Beneath the polite diplomacy lies a current of apprehension about what Donald Trump’s return means for Japan’s place in an upended world.

A screen shows live footage of US President Donald Trump signing executive orders next to monitors displaying the yen to dollar exchange rate at a foreign exchange trading company in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Trump says he’ll sanction Russia if Putin does not negotiate on Ukraine

The US president also said he had pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene to stop the war.

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Donald Trump

Trump strips protection from ex-adviser Bolton, target of Iran murder plot

After leaving his White House job, Bolton had called his former boss ‘unfit to be president’ and said he would appease China and Russia.

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