TOPIC

US-China relations: the Asian angle

Home
Asian angle
Trade war
US-China decoupling
US-China relations: the Asian angle
As the world's two greatest powers jostle for economic influence, what does the future have in store for Asia?
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 28. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Editorial | Despite pause in US-China tariff war, expect more global fragmentation

Long periods of truce at the current tariff levels may not be ideal for the business sector but this buys time to prioritise negotiations.

Asean

Opinion | However tariffs turn out, Asia faces flood of cheaper Chinese exports

videocam
The Philippines

Unearthing potential: US eyes Philippine rare earths as China tightens grip

videocam
4
Communist Party politics

‘Own the story’: China urged to control its narrative to counteract the West

Discourse power has become a key arena of international competition, according to experts in Chinese politics, media and party ideology.

videocam
47
China must prevent the Western narrative from excluding it from the definition of the Global South, says Chen Jin, a lecturer at China’s Central Party School. Photo: Shutterstock
Asean

Asian Angle | Why Malaysia seeks enduring Asean-GCC-China cooperation

Malaysia’s history as a global bridge drives this new trilateral forum, mirroring historical trade routes from China to the Middle East.

videocam
Asean

Editorial | Asean’s credibility at stake as Thai-Cambodia border clash rages on

Non-interference from Asean partners need not mean looking the other way amid loss of life and a serious threat to collective security.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China trade war

What the new US trade deal with Japan means for other Asian allies

Not even America’s long-time trade partners have been spared from tariffs, and deals with others could be coming soon, according to analysts who see China standing apart.

videocam
32
US President Donald Trump waves as he greets Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in February. The US and Japan have agreed on a new trade deal. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Will more US missiles in Philippines deter or provoke South China Sea conflict?

With the placement of missile and drone systems, analysts debate if the Philippines will become a forward-operating platform or a flashpoint.

videocam
7
Asean

Opinion | As trade deals show, the US now seeks rent from Asean, not partnership

If Washington keeps treating Asean as a cash register, it will accelerate what it fears: a pivot towards China.

videocam
5
China-Australia relations

Albanese China trip shows ‘stiffening of Canberra spine’ in face of US pressure

Beijing rolled out the red carpet for the Australian leader this week and the two sides appeared to keep a lid on tensions.

videocam
34
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Thursday. His six-day visit to China wrapped up on Friday. Photo: EPA
Open Questions series

Open Questions | ‘Mutually assured economic destruction’ cools trade war: Stein

Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, says a trade-war pause is likely to be extended as neither side wants to see the ‘unthinkable’ return of sky-high tariffs.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

If the US wants Japan, Australia to commit to Taiwan role, will they agree?

Public pledges from the Asia-Pacific allies unlikely, observers say, with efforts to pressure them seen as signs of ‘weakening’ confidence.

videocam
11
US-China trade war

How Trump’s latest tariffs on allies, rivals could fund his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

Washington’s new duties on 25 countries could make up for tax shortfall and back domestic spending plans, analysts say.

videocam
14
China-Australia relations

China trade or Philippine defence ties? Why Australia attempts to balance both

While seeking stable ties with its largest trading partner, Australia must also ‘maintain credibility as a regional stabiliser’, analysts say.

videocam
4
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr display signed documents after upgrading bilateral relations in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
China’s Communist Party

China think tanks must be ‘self-centred’ to project nation’s soft power: expert

Leading Chinese scholar Zheng Yongnian says policy adviser groups should be based on a practical ‘indigenous knowledge system’.

4
China’s developing think tanks need to better explain Chinese practices to the world and anticipate the country’s future, according to leading Chinese scholar Zheng Yongnian. Photo: Shutterstock Images
US-China trade war

China must ‘play the long game’ with trade partners as US bullies, analysts say

Moving beyond strongly worded warnings, Beijing is seen embracing a more pragmatic approach, steeling itself ahead of more talks with Washington.

The Philippines

Philippines urged to ‘double down’ in talks over 20% tariff with Trump

Trump says the tariff on Philippine exports to the US is necessary to address what he calls Washington’s ‘unsustainable’ trade deficit.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Taiwan

Taiwan debuts US-made Abrams tanks during live-fire drills as PLA flexes muscles

Taiwanese military tests new M1A2T tanks during annual Han Kuang Exercise in show of force aimed at boosting morale, combat readiness.

videocam
67
A US-made M1A2T Abrams tank takes part in military exercises in Hsinchu, Taiwan on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Open Questions series

Open Dialogue | Li and Browne on lack of trust in US-China relationship

Professor Li Cheng and Andrew Browne discuss how a lack of trust on both sides is hampering US-China ties, the potential for a trade deal and the differences between the two nations’ leaders.

Asean

Rubio assures Malaysia has more time to negotiate US tariffs, Anwar says

Rubio reiterates to Anwar that Malaysia remains an important US partner and Washington is keen to boost cooperation with Asean.

China trade

‘Whatever they do is wrong’: Chinese exporters trapped by Trump’s Asean tariffs

‘Every investment is a gamble’, and Chinese factories face ‘huge losses’ by operating in Southeast Asian countries facing Trump’s tariffs, according to industry insiders.

videocam
37
People relax at the jetty near the container cargo port on Wednesday as a container cargo ship passes by in Myanmar, which US President Donald Trump has threatened with a 40 per cent tariff. Photo: EPA
United States

US targets North Korean fake IT worker scheme with China and Russia links

The ‘workers’ were given false American identities so they could hold remote jobs with US firms and generate money for Kim Jong-un’s regime.

videocam
Thousands of North Korean workers have been posing as nationals from other countries to infiltrate companies in the US and around the world, according to the US government. Photo illustration: Shutterstock
China-Japan relations

Will US tariff pressure on Japan and South Korea push them closer to China?

As Washington announces 25% reciprocal tariffs on its two Asian allies, analysts say Beijing has an opportunity with Tokyo and Seoul.

videocam
27
US-China trade war

‘Pressure and division’: why Trump’s 14-nation tariff package puts China on edge

Washington’s latest duties target some of Beijing’s most important partners, pressuring Asean and fuelling trade tensions, analysts warn.

videocam
35
Asean

Editorial | Transshipment clause in US-Vietnam trade deal cause for concern

Given how intertwined Chinese products are in regional supply chains, an expansive US definition of transshipment could be highly disruptive.

Workers number fabric at a garment factory in Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen Province on July 2. Photo: AFP
Asean

Opinion | Why Vietnam’s US trade deal is a high-risk economic gamble

It’s a strategic chance to catalyse economic reforms but failure risks making Vietnam a dependent client state.

videocam
Vietnamese garment factory workers in Ho Chi Minh City on April 3. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

Vietnam breathes sigh of relief after Trump trade deal, but challenges remain

Under the new deal, US goods into Vietnam will not be taxed while Vietnamese exports will face a 20 per cent US tariff.

videocam
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.

videocam
48
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement