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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | As US retreats into ‘sphere of influence’, China looks outwards

By disrupting China’s global initiatives and relying on brute force to achieve its goals, US actions are ultimately self-defeating.

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United States

Outside In | Why Trump’s Davos farce may come to be seen as a watershed

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United States

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

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Environment

Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Xiamen’s recognised coastal management approach underpins its bid to host the treaty secretariat.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

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European Union

Macroscope | Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump

Despite being equipped with powerful tools in its economic arsenal, Brussels lacks the leverage needed to keep Washington in check.

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Denmark

Opinion | Cultural exchange with rivals isn’t capitulation. It’s pragmatism

Middle powers must keep their diplomatic options open and recognise that engagement with a country isn’t an endorsement of it.

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People take part in a protest under the slogans “Hands off Greenland” and “Greenland for Greenlanders” in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 17. Photo: EPA
People take part in a protest under the slogans “Hands off Greenland” and “Greenland for Greenlanders” in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 17. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

Opinion | Why China’s response to Trump’s chaos will be to wait and watch

Although the US president’s destabilising actions might seem like an opportunity for Beijing, it is likely to opt for strategic patience.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

It’s a calculated choice to keep growth, infrastructure momentum and policy space alive in a world that punishes the economically exposed.

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Canada

As I see it | How Donald Trump could break up Canada

While the US president has focused on intimidating Canada’s federal officials, he might be better served by concentrating on Alberta.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum looks on at the end of the draw for the 2026 World Cup at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, on December 5, 2025. Photo: AP
United States

Opinion | Why isn’t Trump learning from past foreign policy mistakes?

From Venezuela and Iran to Greenland and Canada, US interventions and threats risk spillovers and retaliation – as history shows.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Poverty

Opinion | Why we should aspire to raising living standards for all

Our history of progress shows we can care for a growing population, but only if we tackle inequality and protect the environment.

China-Canada relations

Opinion | As China and Canada reset ties, they must strike while the iron is hot

After the Canadian prime minister’s visit to Beijing, both sides have a window to deepen trade and cooperate on global governance.

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Energy

Opinion | Clean energy works at scale. Now it must be coordinated

The next decade will be defined not only by new clean energy capacity, but by how well grids, storage and demand systems are connected and optimised.

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Staff members of the State Grid Yantai electric power supply company work at an offshore photovoltaic power project in the waters of Zhaoyuan city, eastern China’s Shandong province on November 15, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Trump’s Venezuela raid a rude awakening for Russia and China

The US abduction of Venezuela’s president showed Russia could do little to protect its ally while China’s economic ties were put at risk.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Greenland

Opinion | Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond the Arctic

Greenland is a test case for how alliances handle sovereignty and trust amid great power rivalry, with important consequences for Asia.

US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

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European Union

Opinion | In the tech race, Europe can choose a path that sidesteps US-China rivalry

To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry.

A participant interacts with a robot at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
A participant interacts with a robot at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Macroscope | Multilateral institutions’ critique of Trump’s actions is too muted

US funding of multinational bodies seems to be keeping their critique muted. The power of the purse should not ensure immunity from criticism.

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China society

Outside In | We are speeding towards a demography of loneliness

The swarming sociability of family life is fading as one-person households and lonely deaths rise. Coping with loneliness is now a life skill.

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European Union

Opinion | An internally split Europe can never fully engage China and Asia

The Brussels effect is real but so is Europe’s strategic subordination to the US. For China, and Asia, this means proceeding with pragmatism.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
United States

Macroscope | Investors are giving Trump a free pass

Markets, especially bond markets, are meant to be a disciplining force. Their inaction will only embolden Trump to act more recklessly.

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A video of US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell plays on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on January 12. Powell has rejected the Trump administration’s claims of wrongdoing against him, calling them a pretext for punishing him for not cutting interest rates as fast as US President Donald Trump desired. Photo: AP
A video of US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell plays on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on January 12. Powell has rejected the Trump administration’s claims of wrongdoing against him, calling them a pretext for punishing him for not cutting interest rates as fast as US President Donald Trump desired. Photo: AP
Diplomacy

Opinion | High Seas Treaty will both boost China’s power and hold it accountable

Beijing realises that maritime leadership will be measured not just by fleets and bases but also by who protects the planet’s last great commons.

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Ukraine war

Opinion | Why Russia is gambling on a protracted war in Ukraine

Despite a stagnating economy and mounting casualties on the battlefield, Moscow believes it can wait out Ukrainian and Western resolve.

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US-China relations

As I see it | The Chinese century may already be here

International competition will be won by nations with steady and realistic policies guided by a vision, not the ones indulging in cowboy militarism.

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Visitors enjoy the lush, futuristic interior of a shopping centre in Chongqing, on November 13, 2024. Photo: Getty Images
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