TOPIC

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.
Open Questions series

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

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

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

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

videocam
29
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

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

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

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

videocam
29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in a social media image released on Friday. Photo: Social media via Reuters
Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

videocam
US-China relations

US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

videocam
6
Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Donald Trump

Trump says will get Greenland ‘easy way’ or ‘hard way’

The Trump administration has reportedly discussed paying the island’s residents up to US$100,000 each to lure them to join the US.

videocam
10
Children play in freshly fallen snow in Nuuk, Greenland, in March. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

videocam
26
European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-Venezuela conflict

US seizes fifth tanker as Washington escalates bid to control Venezuela’s oil

Joint US forces intercept the Olina amid Trump talks with Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips on US$100 billion Venezuela plan.

videocam
26
Video released by US Southern Command shows the seizure of the tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea. Photo: US Southern Command
Science

China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nukes ‘overnight’

Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a call for international community to ‘take concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s nuclear ambitions.

videocam
17
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

US pledges millions to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he claims to have solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

videocam
Bangladesh

India-Bangladesh talks over Ganges waters may turn murky over politics, UN pact

Bangladesh’s election, Hasina’s presence in India and Dhaka’s signing of the UN water convention could complicate the 1996 Ganges agreement.

videocam
A boy plays with a football on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi, India. Photo: AFP
Legacy of war in Asia

Opinion | Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

Remembering the pain of the Nanking massacre does not preclude engagement, but ensures lessons of the past strengthen our shared commitment to peace.

videocam
4
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and government officials at the ceremony of the Nanking massacre memorial held at the government’s headquarters on December 13. Photo: Jonathan Wong
China trade

With US focused on Venezuela, China has window to pressure Japan: analysts

Beijing’s trade actions raise stakes with Tokyo, as China’s rare earth power and Japan’s chip dominance are seen as potentially key levers in their bilateral dispute.

videocam
13
South Korea

Editorial | For South Korea to reset relations with China, it must withstand US pressure

The South Korean president’s visit to China was a sign of a more pragmatic approach that departs from that of his US-leaning predecessor.

US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela frees opposition figures and activists, which Trump says US requested

The releases are the first by Venezuela’s new leaders in an apparent concession to the US after its ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

videocam
Bolivarian National Police unload riot control gear outside the Helicoide detention centre in Caracas before the release of foreign and Venezuelan prisoners. Photo: Reuters
North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

US will end China’s dominance of rare earths, Trump adviser Navarro predicts

The president’s trade aide says American innovation will ‘quickly wipe away’ Beijing’s ‘weaponisation’ of critical minerals.

videocam
31
US-Venezuela conflict

US Senate rebukes Trump on Venezuela with war powers vote

Five Republicans join Democrats in a 52-47 vote to limit further military action as the president eyes Greenland next.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
France

France’s Macron slams US over Venezuela, Greenland actions

The French President condemned Washington’s isolationism after the capture of Venezuela’s leader and designs to take over the Danish territory.

videocam
9
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to French ambassadors on Thursday in Paris. Photo: AP
Ukraine war

Russia slams West’s ‘axis of war’ as Kyiv says US guarantees ‘essentially ready’

Moscow warns ‘axis of war’ peacekeepers potentially being deployed to Ukraine are targets, overshadowing Zelensky’s claim a US pact is almost ready.

Israel-Gaza war

‘Where is the ceasefire?’: Israeli gunfire kills 11-year-old in Gaza ‘safe zone’

Despite the agreement, Israel has killed 424 people since the ceasefire started nearly three months ago.

Malaysia

Ankara anchor: Malaysia finds Turkey ‘reliable friend’ in stormy global waters

Trump’s tariffs and actions in Venezuela are causing the Global South to look for less mercurial partners, analysts say.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim exchange a signed agreement in Ankara on Wednesday. Photo: Turkish Presidency/Xinhua
Saudi Arabia

US allies Saudi Arabia, UAE risk a split in Middle East over competing visions

A ‘new order’ is emerging as Abu Dhabi-backed separatist allies clash with pro-Riyadh governments in the region.

Southern Transitional Council security personnel guard a checkpoint in Aden, Yemen, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

Trump pulls US out of dozens of international organisations, UN agencies

Many are groups and treaties the US president’s team has categorised as catering to diversity and ‘woke’ initiatives, such as climate talks.

videocam
8
China-North Korea relations

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

videocam
North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | As denuclearisation stalls, China will shape stability on Korean peninsula

South Korean leader’s Beijing visit makes clear need to manage inter-Korean tensions and establish stability en route to denuclearisation.

videocam
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone after a state dinner in Beijing, China, on January 5. Xi gave Lee the smartphone during their first summit talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, in November. Photo: EPA / Yonhap
Donald Trump

Trump plots to buy Greenland, as Nato ally Denmark seethes

The US president has repeatedly refused to rule out using force to seize the Arctic island, but his team says the first option is diplomacy.

videocam
26
A Danish navy vessel patrols the waters off Nuuk, Greenland, in March 2025. Photo: AFP
US-Venezuela conflict

US won’t rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties

White House vows continued ‘American dominance in the western hemisphere’ as Trump claims Caracas will now buy ‘only American-made’ products.

videocam
74
Canada

Canada’s Carney to meet Xi in China, as Trump tariffs hurt US ties

PM Mark Carney will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for trade and other talks in first such trip by a Canadian leader in nearly a decade.

videocam
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement