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.
Elephants wade through flood waters to help bring relief supplies to villagers in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, on October 6, 2024. Photo: AP
Climate change

Opinion | Asia can’t afford to wait for the US to wake up to its climate duty

As the US walks away again, Europe, China and others need to fill the climate reparation funding gap, not out of charity but responsibility.

videocam
United States

Opinion | Trump’s Maga ambition may be more audacious than we think

videocam
9
Ukraine war

Losing grip on Kursk, Ukraine troops make new incursion into Russia’s Belgorod

videocam
China economy

Editorial | China’s austerity is very different to that in US

Beijing is targeting wasteful spending on projects and misuse of public money by officials, not savings to finance tax cuts.

President Xi Jinping, seen on Friday at a meeting of global business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, spearheaded an austerity drive aimed at cutting out government spending on lavish gatherings, among other such waste. Photo: Kyodo
United States

Vance slams Denmark for not keeping Greenland safe from China and Russia

As his vice-president visited a base in the territory, Trump told reporters the US needed Greenland to ensure ‘peace of the entire world’.

videocam
5
United States

Trump and Canada’s PM Carney ease tensions with ‘productive’ call

The US president says the two leaders have agreed to meet soon after Canada’s general election in April.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Donald Trump

Outside In | Outraged by Trump, Canada scrambles to define what makes a nation

Threatened with annexation, Canadians reluctant to be absorbed nevertheless find it hard to say what distinguishes them from Americans.

videocam
A protester holds the flags of Canada and the United States on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on February 1. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
South China Sea

As Hegseth visits Manila, Beijing warns against meddling in South China Sea

‘Those who willingly become pawns will inevitably be discarded,’ Chen Xiaodong, foreign vice-minister, tells Boao Forum panel.

videocam
5
North Korea

Declassified 1994 files show how diplomats doubted North Korea’s ‘goofy’ Kim Jong-il

Newly released files show experts from the US and Russia were sceptical he could hold onto power in the wake of his father’s sudden death.

videocam
Asean

Philippines pulls Asean card on East Timor over extradition row. Will it work?

Manila is seeking the extradition of Arnolfo Teves Jnr, a former politician, who is facing murder and other charges.

Prime Minister of East Timor Xanana Gusmao (far right) poses for a photo at the 14th Asean-UN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, last year. Photo: Reuters
China's economic recovery

Xi urges foreign firms to resist ‘acts that turn back the wheel of history’

Xi meets with business reps as China takes aim at unilateralism and protectionism while ramping up a charm offensive for foreign investors against the backdrop of two global conferences.

8
President Xi Jinping spoke with foreign business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Putin proposes putting Ukraine under temporary UN control to hold elections

The Russian president also said Trump ‘sincerely’ wanted to end the long-running war.

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | US treatment of Indo-Pacific allies could de-escalate ties with China

Donald Trump is likely to keep projecting power in Asia but his focus on other priorities will reshape regional dynamics.

videocam
Canada

Era of close ties with US ‘over’, Canada PM says, as Trump asks to talk

Mark Carney says he expects to speak to the US president in ‘a day or two’, and that Canada will retaliate against planned US car tariffs.

videocam
18
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference on proposed US tariffs in Ottawa on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Donald Trump

Trump withdraws UN envoy pick Elise Stefanik amid Congress majority fears

Republicans control the US House by a slim margin, and the departure of the firebrand congresswoman would make it even harder to pass laws.

US congresswoman Elise Stefanik testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on her nomination to be Ambassador to the United Nations in Washington in January. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

EU trade commissioner says bloc seeks to deepen cooperation with China

Maros Sefcovic, in Beijing meeting with Vice-Premier He Lifeng, signals European Union’s softening tone toward engagement with China.

15
Vladimir Putin

Trump’s plan to take over Greenland is ‘serious’, Putin says

The Russian leader is concerned that Nato countries could use the Arctic as a springboard for future conflicts.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Ukraine war

Not all European allies agree on troops for Ukraine: Macron

France and Britain, which are driving the initiative, would forge ahead with a ‘reassurance force’ with several countries.

videocam
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of drone strikes on a residential area in Kharkiv on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong politics

Fourth Beijing warning for Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison over Panama ports deal

Beijing’s offices overseeing Hong Kong affairs repost another scathing news article taking aim at company over sale to US consortium.

videocam
80
TV shows and streaming video

Addictive China micro-dramas show how commercial demand fuels netcasting boom

The head of China’s body overseeing film and TV calls micro-dramas a ‘new growth pillar for China’s online audio and video industry’, with growing influence overseas.

videocam
United States

Letters | An unpredictable US could inspire Europe and Asia’s democracies to unite

Readers discuss a possible response to the uncertainty sparked by the Trump administration, and US-China relations.

US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as US Vice-President JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington on February 28. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

In China, EU trade chief to play hardball after Trump tariff rebuff

EU officials experienced on China have insisted in planning meetings that no concessions should be made to Beijing.

videocam
7
EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maros Sefcovic speaks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. Photo: Faruk Pinjo/World Economic Forum/dpa
Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Hutchison, government in talks to see if there’s any way out as deadline nears

Sources say Hong Kong government approached Hutchison immediately after learning on March 4 about the surprise deal to sell its port operations.

videocam
89
Japan

‘Impossible to keep up’: Japan ‘stunned’ by Trump trade threats, false claims

Analysts fear this disinformation will strain the US-Japan alliance, risking economic uncertainty, especially in the auto sector.

videocam
10
China-EU relations

China, Europe ‘share same worry’ about unilateralist forces: ESM director

In China as part of a finance-focused delegation, director of European Stability Mechanism says the two regions are aligned in bid to stabilise international finance.

There are areas of financial cooperation in which China and the European Union share like-minded views. Photo: Reuters
Canada

Canada PM Carney calls Trump car tariffs a ‘direct attack’ on his country

The prime minister says his government will defend Canadian workers and companies, and the US president’s trade war is hurting Americans.

videocam
8
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney responds to tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China hails US YouTube star who gets 10 million views in Beijing, Shanghai

Influencer is seen praising the people who greeted him enthusiastically, clean streets and internet connectivity on the subway.

videocam
22
US-China relations

As Trump’s policies create divisions, G7 plays the ‘China card’ for unity

As ‘America first’ pressures G7 unity, Western moves to divert Washington’s hostility could be short-lived if US-China relations improve.

videocam
38
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement