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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.
Open Questions series

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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Science

China tests non-nuclear hydrogen bomb, science paper shows

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Chinese scientists used a 2kg bomb to generate a fireball that lasted 15 times longer than an equivalent TNT blast, according to a new study. Photo: 705 Research Institute

Diplomacy

Chinese ambassador warns US not to repeat tariff mistakes of the past

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Xie Feng made his comments at event celebrating Traditional Chinese Medicine, which he used as a metaphor for the trade war. Photo: Handout

Trending in China

China wife films husband’s affair, mistress sues for payout, online clip removal

A Chinese woman who filmed her husband’s affair and then shared video footage of it online has been sued by the mistress for compensation. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Fashion

Meet ex-royal insider Sara Parker Bowles, who’s now a bespoke fashion stylist

Sara Parker Bowles is the ex wife of Tom Parker Bowles, son of Queen Camilla. Photos: @saraparkerbowles/Instagram; PA

Science

Opinion | ‘Science fiction’ to reality: charting an unexplored side of China’s rapid rise

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The South China Morning Post’s science team reports on breakthroughs in China, how Beijing invests in research and how its advances fit into the story of China’s rise. Photo: Shutterstock
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr returns salutes during a troop visitation in Palawan island. Photo: EPA-EFE/Western Command Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Philippines

Philippine provinces torn between US military and China’s economic reach: study

US military hosts Cagayan and Palawan hold opposing views of Beijing because of their economic engagements with China, according to a study.

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India

Can Vance’s visit help India fast-track trade deal, avert Trump tariff threat?

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US-China relations

China to sanction US Congress members and others over Hong Kong issues

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The Philippines

Philippines, US launch ‘full battle’ Balikatan drills, some near Taiwan

About 17,000 troops will take part in the joint exercises, which include a combined air and missile defence simulation for the first time.

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US and Philippine soldiers salute on Monday during the opening ceremony of the Balikatan joint military drills. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

‘Bargaining with a tiger for its skin’: China says US trade tactics will fail

Ministry of Commerce calls for countries to resist US trade coercion after report said Washington asked them to curb economic ties with China in exchange for tariff relief.

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Indonesia

Is Indonesia destined to be a footnote in Africa’s growth story?

Despite President Prabowo’s heartfelt words and promises of partnership, analysts question Indonesia’s commitment to the continent.

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United States

Pentagon chief ‘had another Signal chat’ sharing Yemen strike details: reports

Pete Hegseth’s second group chat, dubbed ‘Defence Team Huddle’, included US defence secretary’s wife and brother, The New York Times reported.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
El Salvador

El Salvadore’s Bukele suggests prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuela deportees

Proposal comes as El Salvador has come under international scrutiny for accepting Venezuelans and Salvadorans deported by the US.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel cancels visas for French lawmakers 2 days before visit

Sunday’s action came amid diplomatic tensions after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon recognise a Palestinian state.

Donald Trump

Trump to gut US diplomacy in Africa, cut global soft power: report

‘Non-essential embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa shall be closed’ and remaining missions to be consolidated, draft order says.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Photo: Abaca Press/TNS
Israel-Gaza war

Qatar’s lead negotiator committed to reviving Gaza peace talks

Qatar, with the US and Egypt, brokered a truce in Gaza which came into force on January 15 and largely halted over a year of war.

Qatari Minister of State Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi welcomes then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Doha, Qatar, on 20 August last year. Photo: Reuters
France

‘A more reliable partner’: how France’s Palestine push could isolate the US

France’s president is seizing a global leadership vacuum left by Washington to champion a two-state solution. The effects could be profound.

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South China Sea

‘Beauty of compromise’: Chinese scholars urge peace with Manila in South China Sea

Experts emphasise compromise and reject ‘megaphone diplomacy’ to avoid conflicts in the disputed waterway.

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United States

French minister warns Trump: firing Powell risks destabilising US economy

The US president has clashed with the Federal Reserve chair over interest rates, threatening ‘termination couldn’t come quickly enough’.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Photo: Getty Images
Malaysia

Malaysia’s pandas returning to China as a new conservation chapter starts

Fu Wa and Feng Yi, who have been in Malaysia for 11 years, will be replaced with a new pair under Xi Jinping’s freshly signed deal.

Nineteen-month-old female panda cub Yi Yi (left) plays with her mother Feng Yi in Malaysia’s National Zoo. Photo: Reuters
North Korea

Opinion | North Korea’s deepening military alliance with Russia should worry China

While China presents a united front with North Korea and Russia, the latter two growing closer puts Beijing’s own interests and influence at risk.

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Australia

Will US tariffs sink Australia’s Aukus submarine delivery goals?

About one-third of the steel and aluminium used in US naval vessels, including the Aukus submarines, have been hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.

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Asean

Opinion | Could Asean help jump-start US-China trade negotiations?

The bloc’s summit involving dialogue partners is an ideal space for the US and China to talk, but time is of the essence.

The Asean flag is placed alongside the flags of its member countries ahead of the bloc’s foreign ministers’ retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, on January 17. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Gaza war: Israel’s Netanyahu says military to increase pressure on Hamas

The militants have rejected a proposal for another temporary truce, seeking a deal to end a war in exchange for the release of all hostages.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Violence-plagued Ecuador on alert over alleged assassination plot

The government accused ‘criminal structures’ working with political candidates of hatching the plot, but did not offer any specific names.

Cambodia

Cambodia: 2 Japanese warships dock at Chinese-renovated base

The Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh said that the visit is ‘a historically significant event’ that would ‘enhance trust and confidence’.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and Royal Cambodian Navy personnel posing for a group photo following the arrival of the JMSDF mine countermeasures vessel JS Bungo and the Awaji-class minesweeper JS Etajima at the Ream Naval Base, located off Cambodia’s southern coast in Preah Sihanouk province, on Saturday. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | Will Trump’s chaos galvanise the Global South?

With trust in Western-dominated institutions waning, the Global South is rallying for a new order that reflects its diverse voices.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on April 11. Photo: DIA/AP
Indonesia

From Bandung to Brics: Indonesia’s evolving quest for Global South autonomy

Seven decades after hosting a summit that birthed the Non-Aligned Movement, Indonesia prioritises pragmatic ties over grand gestures.

US-China relations

Are China’s space ties with Latin America under threat as the US asserts power?

Trump administration to increase scrutiny of Sino-Latin American space cooperation to curb China’s influence, analysts say.

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Xi Jinping

Opinion | A world on edge is headed for a geopolitical reckoning – in May

Lasting changes could arise from the Trump vs Xi diplomatic chess, EU’s emerging strategy and political flux in Seoul, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Donald Trump

Trump turns White House Covid website into page pushing China lab leak theory

The updated website now accuses Anthony Fauci of promoting a ‘preferred narrative’ that the deadly disease originated in nature.

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The updated website shows a photo of US President Donald Trump walking between the words “lab” and “leak” under a White House heading. Image: covid.gov
Ukraine war

Ukraine bans Chinese firms accused of helping Russia make missiles

Kyiv says the three companies are involved in production of the advanced Iskander missiles, which have been widely used in the conflict.

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Ukraine war

Trump says US will ‘take a pass’ if no Ukraine deal progress

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier said that Washington would ‘move on’ if a truce with Russia did not seem ‘doable’ within days.

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